Author: Zaifyr
Date: 2023-11-02 07:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Humour; Science Fiction
Description: Some seek power. Some seek justice. Others seek to root out the filth lurking in the darkest of corners. Spot was summoned from his comfortable charging pad and familiar floors to a world of magic and intrigue. But after the flight of his new patrons, he is left alone to care for a filthy castle. During his quest to keep this new home clean, Spot will face demons, foreign armies, and his arch nemesis, the dreaded stairs. All those who stand before him will be swept away. Those who follow his spotless trail will find enlightenment, purity, and a world on its knees. Follow this wholesome vacuum
Publisher: Independently Published

ALL THE DUST THAT FALLS

©2023 ZAIFYR

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CONTENTS

Also In Series

1. Consequences of a Power Vacuum

2. Today Sucked

3. Deep Cleaning of the Soul

4. Dust Bunnies

5. The Light that Never Was

6. In a Vacuum, No One Can Hear You Scream

7. The World's Janitor

8. The Vacuum Wanders as the Vacuum Wills

9. Taking Out the Trash

10. Those Who Stare into the Void

11. What Looks Back

12. On the Mortality of Dirt

13. Wiping the Floor with You

14. I Suck at Reading the Room

15. The Purity of the Void

16. The Hockey Puck of Doom

17. Chasing Perfection

18. A Bath of Blood

19. A Blank Slate

20. An Unblemished Floor

21. A Clean Start

22. Straight Through the Mud

23. Power Washing

24. The Magic Eraser

25. Meditative Cleaning

26. Rolling Down the Red Carpet

27. Spring Cleaning

28. Bristling with Fury

29. A Cluttered Mind

30. The Pure Spirit

31. Letting it Soak

32. Germophobe

33. The Best Disinfectant

34. Down and Dirty

35. Dusty Old Bones

36. Dancing Around the Broom

37. Everybody Clean Up

38. Dust-Up

39. Swept Away

40. A Dust Trap

41. What Lies Between the Stars Sucks

42. A Pristine Oasis

43. Clean Up

44. The Path of Purity

45. A Brush with Death

46. Time to Clean

47. Getting Detailed

48. Dressing Down

49. Dust Devils

50. Soil Sucking

51. Of Voids and Vacuums

52. Securing Supplies

53. A Splash of Truth

54. Farm Upkeep

55. A Crummy Situation

56. The Road to Salvation

57. Sleep Mode

58. Charging Station

59. A Bounty of Crumbs

60. Running Amuck

61. Dust in the Wind

62. Acceptable Deviations

63. Home Sweet Home

64. Cooped Up

65. Coming Clean

66. Cleared Up

67. V is for Vacuum

68. A Step Up

69. Nice Floors

70. Clean Words

71. Workload Optimization

72. Hazardous Waste

73. Immaculate

74. Ramping Up

75. Purest of Intentions

76. Clearing the Air

77. Operation S.P.O.T.: Operation Shoot and Potion Obvious Threats

78. A Messy Situation

79. A Dance of Disinfectant

80. Spray and Pray

81. Breaking a Few Eggs

82. On the Spot

Epilogue

Thank you for reading All the Dust that Falls

Groups

LitRPG

ALSO IN SERIES

ALL THE DUST THAT FALLS

All the Dust that Falls

All the Dust that Falls 2

All the Dust that Falls 3 - Coming soon!

Check out the series here! (tap or scan)

CHAPTER 1

CONSEQUENCES OF A POWER VACUUM

I bumped into the chair leg again. My archnemesis. I didn't let it ruffle my composure. I paused for a second, backed up, rotated precisely fifteen degrees, and tried again. I repeated until I had navigated around the obstacle. Despite the inconvenience, I wasn't too disturbed; my humans sometimes would challenge me by changing up the scenery and providing new impediments to my progress. It gave me something to look forward to. Plus, I didn't have any problems keeping up with the work, despite their best efforts, so it was all in good fun. Sedately, I continued under the table. I hummed across the floor, making steady progress. As a professional, I held myself to the highest of standards when it came to the cleanliness of my home. A sparkling clean floor was truly essential to the running of a functional household.

I happily trundled around the dining room, cleaning up after dinner. I noted a 15 percent increase in crumbs from this meal, but it didn't interfere with my duties. After a job well done, I returned to my warm bed to sleep.

I woke with a start. Instead of the usually loving touch on my head to let me know my services were needed, I woke with a flash and a bang. My sensors went blank, but I was awake.

Replacing the laser distance measures I used to map my surroundings, an image of the surroundings was transmitted directly to my sensors. Normally, I needed to process the data first. What an odd thing. I beeped in distress. There was nothing to see. Suddenly a wall appeared in front of me, blocking my path. I tried to slam on the brakes and turn to avoid a collision as I always do, but nothing happened. I braced for impact. Huh, my wall sensor hadn't been activated. Taking a closer look, I realized the wall was not moving. What's more, it had strange patterns on it. I stared at it, but it didn't move. I didn't move either. I couldn't move.

Just when I was about to power down again in hopes that my human would wake me up soon, a voice spoke.

ILLITERACY DETECTED. SWITCHING TO AUDITORY MODE.

That was very loud, I thought. I wondered what it meant. What was "illiteracy?” The voice continued.

INITIATING TRANSFER TO NEW WORLD. SCAN COMPLETE. CREATURE SUMMONED: AUTONOMOUS VACUUM. CONSCIOUSNESS: ADDED. SELF-AWARENESS: ADDED. VISION: ADDED. MOVEMENT: WHEELED. ENERGY SUPPLY: ELECTRICAL. INCOMPATIBLE ENERGY SUPPLY TYPE DETECTED. FINDING CONVERTIBLE ENERGY SUPPLY TYPE. CONVERTING ENERGY SUPPLY TO COMPATIBLE TYPE. ENERGY SUPPLY: CONSUMED MATTER.

What was this thing going on about? It probably wasn't important. I started to power down again. Hopefully, my humans would wake me when I was needed.

STATUS:

SPEED: 0.5

STRENGTH: 0.5

MAGIC: 0

MAGIC RESIS…

The loud voice continued to speak, but I was already shutting down. There was nothing for me to do here.

I woke up with a start. My wheels gave a half-turn in surprise before I took in my surroundings. The flash of light that roused me receded, revealing the nearby area.

I rested on a floor of smooth, black marble far removed from the light hardwood I was used to. The stone was set into a decorative grid-like pattern. The joins between each tile were tight and grouted properly. I could appreciate a good grout. This would be easy to clean. Decorative stone pillars at the edge of my sight soared upwards. These pillars surrounded me on all sides. It appeared I was in the center of a large vaulted room. Not that far away, there were ten humans. They were not my humans, so I ignored them and continued scanning.

My humans often rearranged my domain, introducing new obstacles to keep my duties from becoming too dull. I didn't think this was the case right now, though. This was too much, even for them. Clearly, this was not the home I was accustomed to caring for.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for my scan to complete. I was shocked by the results. What a mess!

The floor around me was covered in piles and lines of chalk, salt, and other powder-like substances. Honestly, it was as bad as when the human child had arts and crafts day.

An idea started to form. My humans, in their infinite respect for cleanliness, took pity on these poor people and lent my services to them. As they were clearly incapable of caring for themselves, I would continue my purpose and help.

Full of purpose and brimming with pride at my assignment, I beeped in excitement and began to move toward the nearest part of the mess. With vigor, I began to clean.

In front of me was a line of salt. I advanced. The section of line in the way was cleared. A little symbol floated in the corner of my field of view. It quickly faded without causing any more of a mess, so I ignored it and kept going.

Harold and his summoners stared at the ritual circle. As the smoke cleared, they got their first glimpse of the being they had summoned. It resembled a circular disk of deep black material, a little over a foot in diameter and barely thicker than his index finger was long. It sat motionless, appearing to hover off the ground slightly.

"Did…did it work?" One of the apprentices nervously clutched his demonsbane powder, ready to hurl it at a moment's notice.

With one trembling finger, an archivist pushed up his glasses and took a small step forward, peering inside the circle.

"I… Forgive me, Master Harold, but I-I don't recognize this variety of demon. I've never seen anything l-like it."

Harold frowned. The being didn't look like any of the entries he had seen in the archives either. That was for sure. Aside from a short series of runic characters along its face and a slightly thicker section along one edge of the disk, it did not appear to have any other identifying markings.

As Harold took a while to consider his response, the assembled mages started to shuffle nervously.

"It appears we did not get the demon we were trying to summon." With Harold's pronouncements, the nervous mutters rose from the assembled group. Harold kept his composure. He sighed. It couldn't be helped. They had known that summoning an archdemon was a long shot with their levels, and they had hoped to at least summon a fiend or a greater demon. Still, an inert failure was better than summoning something they could not control, thus dooming them all to a slow and painful death at the hands of a cataclysmic force. At least they could try again once the room was reset.

Seeing a moment to teach, he wanted to make use of the failure. If they didn't succeed tomorrow, they would be in some hot water. Harold looked pointed at the apprentices. "What are the possible consequences of a failed summon?"

"T-the first possibility is that our summoning failed, and this is simply a leftover artifact of the spell's energy. That would account for its appearance and the fact that it doesn't seem to be alive," the apprentice answered nervously.

"And the second?"

Slightly more confidently, the apprentice continued. "The other, and much less likely, possibility is that we've summoned an unclassified demon."

Harold pointed at a different apprentice. "Which do you think we have here?"

"Well, because no new demon varieties have been observed in centuries, even with enthusiasts whose ritual circle designs center around summoning novelty. It is… unlikely."

"Alright. We'll continue to observe, but it's looking like this try was a dud." Harold waved toward the group. "Do as you will."

The summoners began whispering to each other in hushed tones. They had gathered into little groups to discuss what could have gone wrong. With every passing second, the tension filling the room seemed to dissipate slightly.

The summoners traded their powder sachets for books, recording notes about the summoning for later review. The archivists pointed out specific sections of the circle to the summoners, following Harold's lead in trying to turn the failure into a lesson for tomorrow's attempt.

Harold gestured at one of the apprentices, directing him to retrieve a few books from the library that might shed some light on the incident. The gangly youth nodded and began quickly walking toward the door. Before he had taken two steps, a sudden sound made his head whip back to the circle. The one apprentice who had not taken his eyes off the thing within, yelled in alarm.

The entire group froze in place, fear spiking. Everyone's heads whipped around to see what was going on. The thing they had summoned emitted some sort of high-pitched shriek, a keening, sorrowful note. Then it began to slowly, purposefully move forward.

Panic didn't take hold immediately. They were no military, but they had drilled for things like this. Everyone scrambled into a defensive formation, demonsbane at the ready and poised to fight if need be. It approached the barrier, ostensibly to test the boundary's strength and see how difficult it would be to break.

The summoners instinctively took a few steps back and tensed. Sweat beaded on Harold's brow. They had summoned a unique demon. For it to be unknown meant it had to have come from the deep. Then it was powerful. They had no idea what they were working with. However, they had prepared for an archdemon and then some. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be able to escape the ritual circle easily.

The demon passed right through without even slowing. The circle broke in its wake. A gap as wide as the demon ripped open as it pushed through it with less effort than it took to tear a sheet of paper.

That was when panic set in. Someone screamed. Horrified, the summoners began hurling demonsbane at the monster. The attempt to slow it down failed. The demon didn't even notice. Demonsbane that landed before it was erased from existence as its inexorable advance continued.

Harold cried for the order to retreat, hurling every kind of demon repellent at his disposal. It was unnecessary, as the others had already begun to flee. An archivist tripped over his robes and screeched, scrambling backward away from the relentless horror. Prongs extended from its maw, bushes like the teeth of a great whale, and then they began to spin. All the countermeasures did nothing. The demon broke through each defense, not even slowing. It ignored all their attacks. They might have just been throwing dirt at it, for all the expensive and powerful materials they used to try and stop it.

Harold hauled the fallen man to his feet and pushed him out the door, bringing up the rear of the fleeing group. Behind them, it continued its relentless push forward, toward its would-be captors, toward revenge for being called.

No one stopped running once they were outside the castle. The entire staff had heard the commotion. Screams echoed down the corridors as they ran.

Their lives were at stake here. Demons weren't known for being merciful types, and something that stalked its prey in such a manner was likely to rank among the most pitiless. Forget binding the thing to them—all they could do was run and hope they wouldn't be caught.

They ran as fast and as far as they could. They ran away from the blight they had brought upon this world. They continued down the road leading to the nearest village. The king needed to be warned.

Everyone left so I could do my work. That was kind; having to ask people to step out of my way by bumping into their ankles always felt rude. I would much rather work in peace.

Now that I had a chance to look around, I had a better understanding of the magnitude of the task before me. I had thought that the chalk and dust were bad, but these humans seemed to even make it a habit of throwing powder around willy-nilly. The room was so much worse now than when I had arrived. One of the humans must have spilled something as they were leaving, as there was a trail of yellow puddles following his footsteps out the door.

I didn't expect them to stay and help clean up, of course. I was proud to do it as independently as ever. However, I hadn't expected them to make things so messy on the way out. Perhaps this was their idea of a welcoming party. I would have appreciated help with the liquid, as I wasn't equipped for that very well. But cleaning up was my job, and I would figure out a way to get it done.

No matter. They had left me to do my business. With a cheer, no less. I had to admit it was nice to be appreciated, even if I didn't need it. But they had really gone over the top with shouts of encouragement, so I would take it. Luckily, now I had peace and quiet to do my favorite thing in the world.

I systematically drove myself forward, turning the customary fifteen degrees whenever I bumped into a wall. Thankfully, the room was mostly devoid of furniture, so it was a very smooth process.

About halfway through the room, I was interrupted.

LEVEL UP. LEVEL 1 REACHED. UNLOCKED SUMMONING BONUS. MUTATION REWARD BOOSTED. FIRST MUTATION REACHED. CHOOSE A MUTATION: DIMENSIONAL TRAVEL, FLIGHT, LIMITLESS DUSTPAN.

What was that all about? Did a voice really need to yell at me when I was in the zone?

CHOOSE.

Fine. Looking around, I saw how much I still had to do. There were straight lines of clean floor from where I had traveled, but it was barely making a dent in the work. There was so much stuff, and I wasn't going to be able to take it all in one trip. Without either my receptacle or someone to clean my dustpan, I wasn't able to finish it. The choice was obvious.

CHAPTER 2

TODAY SUCKED

Bee was already having a bad week, and she might have considered it one of the worst weeks of her life. But when the screaming began, it definitely became the worst.

Bee huddled in the broom closet where she was hiding. Not sure what to do, she was frozen, too scared to move, and barely even able to breathe.

She hadn't initially minded when her father suddenly declared that she'd be taking a position at the local mage's association. Heck, she'd even been excited. Seeing the mages work in their element, creating fantastical workings of stone, light, and dust. Who wouldn't have been thrilled?

Her excitement had drained from the second she got here.

She hadn't known that a new apprentice was a glorified maid… A maid. Not a scribe, not an assistant, not even someone who worked in the same vicinity as the mages. Not for years. Not unless you had a lot of money to pay them, but her father hadn't made generous donations to the college. Honestly, he was so stingy that she was surprised he had even paid for her entrance.

No, there was no chance of skipping ahead. She was a maid and would stay a maid. For now, she would have to live with it. She would have settled for even being an errand girl over this. Then, at least, she would have been able to glean something from the notes and materials she carried. That would have been an excuse to be in the more fascinating parts of the castle. As it was, she didn't even get to clean up after the mages. She was only allowed to see their rooms and research labs when they were empty and devoid of activity.

Plus, the last time she had tried sneaking a peek into one of those rooms, it hadn't gone well. It was in use. A tall, spindly mage had nearly thrown the book he was holding at her. Supposedly she was disrupting the energy flow of some ritual circle's attunement ring or something like that. She was confident the only reason the mage hadn't thrown the book was because he didn't want to get up and retrieve it again.

She didn't intend to complain to her father or anything. No, she knew how much it would only disappoint him. There wasn't anything he could or would do to help her, Bee thought bitterly. Besides, she hadn't explored all her options for learning something from this. Maybe things would improve over time.

That was what Bee had been thinking about when this all started.

She had gone about her usual duties, polishing doorknobs, dusting, and generally finding dirty things as close to where the mages worked as they would tolerate. This wasn't that hard—they were a messy lot, and they didn't exactly have a lot of help on that front aside from herself and a few other new members. Today was special, though. Rumors were going around about a big summon today, and she wasn't going to miss it. She let her work take her in that direction.

Knowing that there was something big going on, Bee had positioned herself strategically near the main summoning chamber. Early in the morning, they had started setting up the room. This probably had been the grand hall before the mages had moved in. It took them most of the morning to prepare. Many more experienced apprentices scurried around, assisting their masters in drawing the giant circles.

They had been constantly fetching more bags of potent materials. Justin walked past her carrying a load of alligator salt. That salt was something Bee actually knew about, as she had heard the other apprentices complain about harvesting it. Apparently, they had to collect the tears of alligators and evaporate the liquid to get the salt. Either collecting the salt or caring for the alligators the college kept was a favorite punishment of one of the more sadistic full members.

Sweat had dripped down Justin's forehead as the apprentice passed her by. Not because the load was particularly heavy, but because of the value of the contents. He walked with the awkward gait of a man trying his best not to spill an overfilled cup of wine.

After they all had gathered in the room, she started cleaning one of the stairways that led down right next to the entrance of the main summoning room. It was a narrow servant stairwell hidden in an alcove. The stairs were in a tight spiral, so there was little chance of anyone seeing her if they had to leave for any reason. She swept the stairs, starting from the bottom up, listening carefully the whole time.

Eventually, she'd heard them start chanting. This went on for some time, and she lost herself in the rhythmic words of a language she didn't understand. Suddenly the voices stopped. She heard a soft bang, then excited murmurs. It sounded like the summoning was successful. Bee quickly scurried back up the stairs, a little way up, further out of sight. They could leave at any moment, and she hoped if she timed it right, she could walk past the door as it opened and get a glimpse of what they had summoned.

She'd heard a commotion. The sound was muffled through the thick stone walls, but they sounded excited. She braced to run down the stairs so she could move in front of the room's entrance when they opened. She heard the doors bang open and started running down the stairs.

Bee hadn't made it one step. Her left foot was descending to the next step at the beginning of a run. That was when her brain recognized the sound: it was screaming. Something had gone wrong. Her brain told her body to freeze, but gravity had other ideas. She tried to pull her foot back to the step she was on. She was not fast enough. Momentum carried her down despite her best efforts. As she heard the mages screaming and running down the hall, she tumbled down the stairs.

As she'd finished her fall, sprawling out of the alcove at the base of the stairs in a heap, she could see the back of the last mage running down the hall. What had happened to make them retreat like that? She then heard all the others running out as well. Within a handful of seconds, the castle suddenly went as silent as a tomb. She got up to run too. Hopefully, they would fill her in when she joined them outside.

Bee had tried to get to her feet but gasped in sudden pain. She collapsed to the floor again; her left foot was unnaturally twisted beneath her. Looking down at her ankle, it was clear that it was injured. It bent at an angle that should not have been possible. She would not be running anywhere today. As the pain faded, Bee became suddenly aware of how alone she was. She prepared to call out for help. Surely someone would come back for her, surely?

That was when she'd heard it. There was an unearthly noise coming from the summoning room. A humming and whirring sound, unlike anything she had ever known before.

What could she say? The panic had infected her as well. She wisely bit back her call for help and scrambled to the nearest safety. Looking around, the only thing near her was the cleaning closet at the base of the stairs. She dragged herself toward it and, barely managing to reach the handle, she crammed herself in. She knocked the mop bucket over, and dirty water spilled all over her. She froze. Not daring to make a sound. Nothing happened for a second. She propped herself up and closed the door behind her.

As she hid amongst the mops, she huddled into a ball. Holding her knees to her chest, she bit her lips, preventing any sound that might warn the thing moving in the next room over. Covered in dirty mop water, she rocked back and forth, tears streaming down her face, trying to keep the sobs from making any noise. If she tried, she could still hear the humming. Sometimes it got a little louder, sometimes a little quieter, but it never went away. All she could do was hope that the summon would go away.

Shivering, rocking in a freezing puddle, the little girl cried as she prayed for the demon not to find her.

I hummed to myself softly as I went about my work. It took a couple hours, but I made good progress on the mess the humans had left. This was a pretty easy room to clean; if it wasn't for the party the humans had thrown me, it wouldn't have even been a challenge. Even with that, it wasn't too bad. Normally, I would have had to empty my dustpan several times throughout this job. However, I hadn't felt full in the slightest.

The room was square, without any odd corners that would have made it hard. There were pillars on the outskirts of the room, which was something new. My humans didn't have any pillars in their houses. After the initial novelty, they were not very interesting.

The thing that helped the most was the lack of furniture. It was like when my humans first adopted me. For training, they moved all the furniture out of the way for me. As I gained experience, they stopped doing it as much until one day, they deemed me capable enough to clean without assistance. It was polite of these humans to clear everything out for me, but ultimately it was unnecessary. I was fully competent at doing my job.

After I had gathered the last bits of the strange powders these humans had flung around, I stopped moving. Ah, a job well done. Now I just needed to find my bed and rest. Huh. No, it seemed that I didn't really need to. I felt fine. My energy reserves were full. Beyond full. I felt I could go for weeks before needing to recharge. I should have been at least a little tired—even for an industrious cleaner like me, this was quite a large room to clean so thoroughly without a break.

Cool, more cleaning, then. I wonder if that had anything to do with the voice shouting from the dark place before here. The thing about the dustpan seemed to be worthwhile. I thought about finding another room to clean. That would be satisfying. Though it would be a good idea to at least locate my bed so I could charge as needed.

I glanced at the door to my right, left open by the humans from earlier. Perhaps the bed was in an area further away.

Some part of me wished I could adventure forward and find out, but that was not my style. My style was one of purposeful meanderings, a dance of precise lines and grids. Angles needed to be sharp and touch a wall. That was how I kept my position in the world. Sure, some might find it inefficient or a waste of time, but they simply didn't understand the beauty. They didn't see how well it allowed me to clean every square inch of this room with utter precision—just that it led me to sometimes, occasionally, bump into things that someone else may have avoided. Every once in a while. So even if I could have aimed directly for the hallway—

My wheels turned toward the open door. I stopped. Did I imagine it? I slowly began my forward crawl once more, imagining my wheels turning to the left this time. Sure enough, they turned left. What?

This was new. I meandered left and right, forward and back, testing my range of motion. I was able to direct my movement like never before. No longer was I limited to increments of fifteen-degree turns at obstacles. Sure, I was still capable of such precision and straightness—I was able to enter the same zen-like state that I usually fell into while cleaning without a specific direction in mind. However, this opened new possibilities.

I imagined myself effortlessly pirouetting around the legs of that troublesome dining table back home, then looked back to the door. It would be a shame not to utilize my newfound skill. Besides, I was finished with this room. I was sure the new humans left more for me to clean up elsewhere. Maybe I would run into a bed as well.

Turning my wheels once more, I advanced toward the door. A careful observer might have even noticed a slight wiggle in my pathing.

Several hours had passed since Bee had crawled into the closet. During that time, she listened to the humming noises and occasional thuds. She had calmed down a little as time passed. The tears had stopped not that long ago. Now she was just cold and scared. As she regained control of her mind, she started to think. She wouldn't get very far if she ran, if running was even an option. It was not. Looking at her ankle, she was pretty sure it was broken. It was at least badly sprained. She had touched it carefully, but during her wait, it had swollen too much, and she wasn't able to tell if it was actually broken or not. It was able to move, but that didn't let her know much. Either way, she wouldn't be walking anywhere fast. Maybe a mop handle could serve as a crutch, but that would not be fast or quiet. She couldn't chance it yet.

She was about to try to stand with the help of a broom, but the noises stopped, and she froze. Bee held her breath. Had it heard her move the broom? Right when the need to breathe began to make itself known, the humming started again. First, it was fitful, then more purposeful. Soon it was as loud as it had ever been. Then it kept getting louder. And louder. It sounded like it was right in front of the door. She closed her eyes and tried to stop the tears from running again. It had found her. It was too late, and there was nothing she could do. Eyes still screwed shut, she heard a slight splash from the puddle of mop water that had leaked under the door. Her lungs screamed for relief, but the fear was more powerful. It had found her. It was right outside.

The door shuddered.

CHAPTER 3

DEEP CLEANING OF THE SOUL

I made my way out of the large room. With my newfound skill, it was easy to avoid the puddles of yellow liquid left behind by the humans. Edging around the partially open door, I found myself at a junction. It was clear where the humans had gone. Stretched out in front of me, I saw the evidence of the humans' flight in the form of a powdery trail. They had gone down the long, wide hallway.

This floor was made of granite rather than marble. A solid choice, it was perhaps a less shiny material, but it was also less prone to damage and required less maintenance. The construction quality was similar to the previous room, even though there was less flair. I appreciated that quality work was to be respected. The grout was just as smooth and even here. It had receded a little more through what was likely more frequent use than in the large room. However, the wear had not progressed to the state where it needed to be replaced. This would not pose a challenge to clean.

The pattern in the stones was also mundane. Rather than the fancy patterns, this hall had a more utilitarian grid pattern. While more simple, I didn't find it any less beautiful. The natural patterns of the granite really shone through. One could see the effort put into placing the stones so they fit just right. Each was separated by the same distance. The tolerances were less than a millimeter.

My only complaint about this setup was pretty minor after all. Down the center of the large hallway in front ran a red carpet. It was starting to get a little threadbare, I tisked. That would slow me down almost 15 percent! While I did appreciate the touch of color to spice up the look, I couldn't say I would have made the same choice.

To my left and right, I could see two other, more narrow halls extending a ways down in each direction. Each showed only a relatively thin layer of fresh dust. It seemed that this part of the hallway had been cleaned within the last week, at least. Perhaps I was not the only help brought on to aid these poor fellows. At least there was no carpet along those wings.

Along all the halls, multiple closed doors lined the walls. This meant my options to explore were somewhat limited. However, there did appear to be a bend further on either of the side halls, which could lead to other accessible areas.

I noted this layout for later. I had been following operating procedures and keeping a model of my domain. I had always done this. It wasn't just to prepare for an inspection (those had never happened, but you couldn't be too careful). While that might have been the initial motivation, I found it helped ensure peak efficiency. Additionally, there was the benefit of not getting lost when my human put me down next to the mess. I could always simply clean what was in front of me. However, while sometimes I got assistance getting to the issue, I didn't always get help finding my way back. It only took a couple of times having to call for help for me to want to avoid that embarrassment again. I was perfectly capable of finding my way home, and professionalism was a value I held near and dear. Unless there were stairs. My brush shuddered at the thought.

While I recorded my surroundings and built a map, I wanted to continue to expand the boundaries and explore. The mystery of what lay around the corners made my cliff sensors itch. With a small exercise of discipline, I pushed the urge down. Duty called.

I turned toward the mess left behind in the large hall and began my methodical sweeps. I would say that I put further thought into my new surroundings, but honestly, I just got lost in the pleasure of cleaning for a while. While I had the option to deviate from my precise straight lines, I didn't need to for this job. There were no odd corners or anything to navigate around. It was quite stark, actually. A potted plant might even have made this more stimulating. While many of my kind detested indoor plants, as they tended to drop leaves or spill soil, I didn't mind them. As long as the humans cared for them properly, it wasn't too much of a burden, and they spiced up the work. Besides, the pollen in my dust filter tasted divine. The steady rhythm of the whisk, whisk, bump, turn was music to my soul.

Lost in bliss, I forgot one critical detail. Luckily, I caught myself before it was too late. I halted suddenly before a foreign substance on the ground—a splash of yellow liquid.

Liquid is perhaps the only thing as bad as stairs. I was technically capable of consuming it, yes. But that wasn't the whole story. On the surface, it shouldn't have been that bad. After all, there were plenty of large pieces of debris that I could do nothing but gently push around. One issue was that I could only get a little liquid at a time. Very little. If that were the only problem, then just some patience would have been enough. I would have been glad if that was the only thing wrong with liquid.

No, liquid was a terror because it coated my wheels and tracked my path around the house, forcing me to create the very mess I sought to eliminate. It brought back some childhood trauma. When I was fresh from the factory, bright-sensored and bushy-brushed, new to the ways of the harsh world of grime, I made a mistake. I overestimated my abilities and attempted to clean a spill of red wine. I shuddered with shame at the memory. I could still vividly recall the horror of my humans at the red wine stains that I had tracked onto the carpet. A horrifying tragedy that I had been powerless to avert.

No more. Exercising my newfound freedom, I broke from my path. With a sharp twist of my wheels, I glided around the liquid, effortlessly avoiding its clutches. I was stronger now, wiser. Yet, whether I was strong enough to vanquish my foe without making a mess was still to be seen. I marked down its location to revisit. I would try vacuuming without moving. Maybe it would work. I wasn't looking forward to the number it would do on my innards without my humans to clear me up if it didn't work.

Duty was a heavy thing.

After a solid amount of work, my cliff sensor alerted me to impending peril. Coming out of my meditative cleaning state, I look around. I had reached the end of the hall. Looking ahead, I was at the end of the road. Carefully I backed up. With delicate movements, I finished touching up my work. I skirted the top of the stairs, careful not to let my wheel off the edge, but I stayed close enough to ensure my brush covered the whole floor. There was not much in the way of margins. It was dangerous work, however necessary.

Quickly retreating from the edge, I did a 360-degree turn to survey my work. All traces of the party the humans had as they paraded out were completely gone. Besides the puddles. And surely the stairs were a mess and maybe past them too. Focus on what you can do, not what you cannot. The parts I could reach were clean. I allowed myself one more twirl of victory before stopping to rest for a second.

Now that I stopped after finishing my assignment, I took stock of myself. Still, I did not feel full. That was a blessing, as I had yet to see a human check up on me. I was not sure what to think about this. On one hand, I was happy that the humans trusted me with such independence. On the other hand, I wouldn't be able to enjoy one of my favorite parts of the job. Usually, I could only run for about half this time before I needed to offer the fruits of my labors to my humans. But if I no longer needed to be emptied, would they still come and lovingly pat my dust receptacle?

Well, what would be, would be. If this dustpan thing worked the way I was starting to expect, it was quite the boon to my efficiency. However, that was not my only limitation. My humans cared for my many needs, but without my bed, I would not be able to receive their kindness. The restful energy they so graciously provided would be lost. After all this hard work, I was starting to feel a little tired. Not nearly as much as I should have, though.

I needed energy, or I would not be able to do my job. Now that the primary duty was taken care of, the little dust I spotted could wait. I needed to find a bed soon, or else I wouldn't be able to finish. I needed…

WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXTRACT MANA FROM COLLECTED MATERIALS? (Y/N)

More yelling. I didn't know what mana was. Though…I did remember something about a mana battery. With a stretch in logic, one could consider the filth I had accumulated as the collected materials. That would be a generous description for them. I was supposed to give them to the humans, but if they weren't going to take them, I certainly didn't want them. Tentatively, I gave permission to take from my dustpan. Suddenly, I felt a void open within myself. A large quantity of the dirt vanished.

A couple of other things took place immediately after. First, a much larger string of characters than usual floated up in the corner of my vision. By now, I had gotten good at tuning out the ones that appeared while I was cleaning. This was much longer. I had no idea what it meant, but it covered a large part of my vision. It promptly passed.

Second, and the slightly more pertinent thing. That same voice that had bored me to sleep before returned, spouting more words that I didn't understand. This time though, I tried to pay attention. If this had anything to do with my newly emptied dustbin, it might be worth listening to.

LEVEL UP x4, LEVEL 5 REACHED. SECOND MUTATION REACHED.

CHOOSE A MUTATION: MOP, INCREASED ARMOR, EXTENDED SENSOR RANGE.

Now, these were some better choices. Last time there was only one good option. This time, two options might have been useful. Maybe lower-level mutations were weaker? Maybe not, as the dustpan improvement was quite nice. I settled in for a think.

Sensor range would be convenient. Ultimately it might improve my pathing. But for the others, I thought I had heard of…

CHOOSE.

Was that a hint of impatience I heard in its voice? I beeped at it softly. Come on, give me a chance to think.

A mop. I thought I had heard my humans speak of it before. Something about a bucket and a mop. What were buckets for? Ah, holding liquid! Wait… Could it be? If there was a chance, I had to take it!

CHOOOOSE.

MOP, I shouted in my head.

The surge of energy rushed toward my front, and I felt my inner workings shift as if to make room for something. I could feel a new function. Though I could not tell its purpose, I activated it. A new hatch opened on my right side, and something slid out a few inches. It just made it into my field of view. I could see that at the end of a black pole, something scraggly sat. It looked almost like a ball made up of several loose strips of cloth. Part of it rested on the ground. I tried to move it, but nothing happened. I tried a few more things, and it retracted back into me. I could feel it there next to my dustpan. Turned out there was a second function after all. I could wring the "Mop."

It was…soft. Squishy. Flexible. After the wringing function finished, nothing happened. I waited for a second, not daring to believe it. I headed over to the first yellow puddle. It was right outside the large room. I extended my new appendage, barely containing my excitement. Stilling my brushes, I crept forward until the end of the Mop was dangling in the puddle, careful not to let the liquid touch my wheels. I felt a small amount of liquid get soaked into the Mop end. I brought it into myself and wrung. The liquid left the Mop and went into my dustpan.

Not quite ready to believe it, I repeated the process. The puddles shrunk before me. I subtly started rotating, dragging the Mop through the liquid. The strips of cloth at the end of my appendage waggled back and forth. To my surprise, this increased the amount of liquid I could collect in one go. I kept at it. Eventually, the liquid was all gone!

As fast as I could, I moved from one puddle to another, cleaning each one until I reached the stairs. I was lucky this particular human had run on the outside of the group rather than on the carpet. That would have been beyond me.

I looked back, satisfied. The impossible had been done. All the liquid was gone. I was so excited that I raced back as fast as I could. I needed to find and vanquish more puddles. I would have my revenge.

When I reached the intersection, I made an excited left. Whoa, I felt a little unsteady there. I was moving as fast as I could, but that usually wasn't very noteworthy. This felt almost like running over the base of the stools my humans had in the kitchen. Around the corner, I passed right next to the door to the large room. Nearby was the base of a stairway. Looking up stairs was much better than looking down at them. Across from the stairway was a door.

The door was perfectly unexceptional. What really caught my eye was the puddle coming out from under the door. I made directly for it. My foe would fall. In my excitement, I overshot my mark slightly and hit the door harder than I would have liked. I pivoted to face the puddle with glee and extended my Mop.

CHAPTER 4

DUST BUNNIES

Quivering, Bee watched the door. It didn't move again, but sounds continued to come through. There was a light splashing. It was standing in the puddle right outside. Bee flinched back, putting more pressure on her bad leg. The terror was the only thing that allowed her to bite back the scream bubbling at her lips. Frozen, she stared at the door for what felt like eons.

Rhythmic splashes continued, never ceasing. It must have known Bee was here and was taunting her. As she watched, the pool of dirty water slowly dried up. Over maybe twenty minutes, the puddle was barely visible anymore. What was the demon doing? Could it taste her fear through the water? Was it giving off a demonic flame that evaporated the water without any heat?

Bee couldn't figure it out. Unable to do anything productive, she had no choice but to close her eyes and pray to any of the gods that might be listening. This continued as she sat there, eyes screwed shut, for she didn't know how long. The sounds never stopped. The only way she could feel the passage of time was the pain fading from her ankle. The throbbing seemed to sync with the rhythmic swishes from outside. The last drops of the puddle vanished, and then the swishes became quieter. As the sound lessened, the pain throbbing in her ankle did as well.

After what must have been hours, the puddle was completely gone. As the last drops vanished, the whirring noise became louder for a second before it began to fade away. Bee wanted to cry out in relief. Her prayers had been heard. Then her ankle twinged again. Well, maybe not. She wasn't able to escape, and it knew it. It must have been able to sense her fear and pain. Probably it was only letting those grow and build up in the air to feed from. Demons feeding on fear was common knowledge, right? She was pretty sure they did that.

Either way, she couldn't do anything but hope the mages came back. Hope they brought back powerful help. Hope they could free her before the demon decided it had enough fun and finished her off.

By the time I vanquished the puddle, I had calmed down. While exciting, I could not lord my superiority over a defeated foe for too long. No, there was work to be done. I took one more swipe with my Mop, dragging through the space where the puddle had been. When it came back dry, I knew it was time to move on. At long last, I had surpassed my old foe. Nay, not just my foe, but the foe of all cleanliness-loving peoples of the earth. No longer would they have to stay up and worry about permanent stains. Never again would spills of liquid threaten to ambush them, cutting their legs out from below when walking on a smooth floor. This hazard to the safety, health, and well-being of the body and the mind would be brought to justice wherever I was.

As much as I loved gloating, there were still so many things to do, and I could not become complacent in my victory. With satisfaction, I backed up, leaving no remnants of my fallen enemy behind as I trundled away. I had to make my map and plan out my schedule. There might be things that needed my immediate attention or dangers I needed to know to avoid. Only after I had triaged the space could I devote my time to the required maintenance chores. So for now, I tried not to focus too hard on the area I was in. Even though this hall hadn't been cleaned in two days. For now, that was fine, but if I worked at it, I thought I could do better. Depending on how big this whole place was, of course.

When considering how to best explore this place, I rolled to the intersection and looked around. To have points of reference, I needed to orient myself. I would call the direction of the stairs North, and the large room behind me would be South. The branching halls on the sides would be East and West, respectively.

Due to my fondness for soggy waffle bits, I decided to buck convention and head down the west corridor first. As I went, I absently sucked up any debris and dust I came across. The path was relatively straightforward, as all of the doors along the hallway were closed. For now, I would have to not worry about what was behind there. Maybe a human would make them available for cleaning when it was required.

Nearing the end of the hall, I turned left and added the elbow junction ahead to my map. As I turned, I saw what lay further down the corridor.

Honestly, it was a bit underwhelming. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but in retrospect, another hallway would have been a perfectly reasonable guess. Starting down the hall, things began to catch my attention. Every couple of doors had branching hallways on the right, leading off to the rest of the floor. I decided that I would explore them before going to the east hall. However, I wanted to see this through first.

I passed half a dozen of these halls, and the curiosity was eating me alive, but I kept going. After passing the last hallway entrance, the doors started to become more frequent. Eventually, I reached a door that had been left open.

I edged my chassis inside. Looking around, it was horrendous. I was so glad someone had brought in the professionals. This place was a mess. Where to begin? The first thing that caught my attention was the fireplace on one side of the room. An actual wood fireplace. It seemed that the fire had been left unattended for hours. The ash had fallen all over the hearth. That was very irresponsible; if the fire had spread, soot could have gotten all over the floor.

Now that I thought of it, the whole situation was slightly odd. I got why the humans would leave me to clean the large room. Maybe they were having a party outside or something. But why hadn't I seen a single one yet? Mentally I shrugged. Well, perhaps soon I would find some around. This was a fairly large place, after all. Someone had to have been left behind. I couldn't clean every surface myself, so I'd need their help. Maybe when I found them, I could get them to open some doors for me. Or carry me up and down some stairs.

My own humans kept a clean house. It was a team effort, though. I would clean the floors, and they would get the trim and all the other places I couldn't reach. They brought me on to help them out, lighten their load a little. It was a good arrangement, one I could respect. We cared for each other. Helped each other.

With that mental tangent, I was able to settle myself. I could understand some small measure of the mindset that led to such disregard for one's surroundings. Why clean things when they'll only get dirty again anyway? It was something that the small human from my previous home often griped about, especially when I was brought to assist him in reclaiming his domain from the decay. However, I had always found such efforts worthwhile. Not just in their results, but in the satisfaction they brought. Maybe whoever used this room had never felt the pleasure of living in a clean home, with freshly swept floors and air tinged with the scent of fresh linens. Maybe they hadn't come to understand the peace of bringing order to their small slice of the world. Or maybe they had just become blind to the state of their surroundings. Perhaps they just needed an example. Rather than being appalled at the unkempt state of the room, maybe I should have been taking this as a teaching opportunity. Dirt is a cycle, and the best we can do is stave off the falling of the dust.

Shifting my mindset, I beeped to myself softly and began to clean.

The room itself was quite stark. Other than the fireplace, there were only a few other things in the room in its entirety: a chair, wardrobe, and bed. However, the fire was only the first bit of this disaster. The floor itself was thick with dust, hair, and other such debris. A blanket from the bed lay in a crumpled heap among the filth. Even though there was little other clutter on the floor, the sheer thickness of the layer atop these stone floors was distressing.

I started by the fireplace. Cleaning it took fewer passes than I expected. I then vacuumed around the legs of the chair. It was a large chair with a sturdy base. The legs had large rounded feet on the end, and the chair's construction made it better than some others. I didn't have an issue finding my way between its feet; there was no fringe, so it was easy to get under. With my newfound control over my pathing, I was able to finish in a fraction of the time it would have previously taken. I know I had long belonged to the school of precise lines and straightforward approaches, but perhaps I needed to experiment with squiggles and a little more free-form cleaning. It was quite a joy to expand the tools I could use. The wardrobe, on closer inspection, was actually built into the wall. This made the work slightly more pleasant, as it was simple to navigate. Only the bed was left. I cleaned all the floors, but finally, I needed to push the blanket out of the way to access underneath.

As I moved the blanket, I was met with my natural prey: a colony of dust bunnies. With a squeal of excitement, I began to hunt. Maybe I was wrong. This disaster might be even better in a way. At home, we had never reached the point of an infestation like this. I was left to hunt individual ones. That was never as much fun.

After clearing away the majority of the bunnies, I found the last surprise in this room. There was a bundle of food. This was something I had often found squirreled away in the little humans' rooms. This was not nearly as well-preserved because I saw a bug eating away at a block of cheese. Starting forward with all my speed, I was able to crush the bug with a wheel. A now-familiar figure floated in the corner of my vision. Wow, that actually worked! Normally, they were able to get away, and the best I could do was scare them off for a bit.

I learned something new today. Apparently, squashing a bug leaves a gooey mess. It was a mess I was familiar with, but never before was able to figure out what caused it. Well, now I knew. Goo was a hard thing to clean. It required many careful passes. It wasn't as impossible as a liquid, but it was still vulnerable to being tracked across a clean floor.

Like a liquid… That gave me an idea. Maybe I could clean this like a liquid. Hesitantly I extended my Mop. I dragged it through the guts of the bug I had crushed. Not much happened. The Mop didn't gather very much of it at all. The goop was seemingly too viscous to be absorbed. However, I wasn't quite done trying things. R&D was worth a little time; if I could improve my efficiency even a little bit now, it would pay dividends in the long term.

Perhaps this was a risky maneuver, and I was just being overconfident. However, given recent developments in cleaning technology, I believed the problem could be contained before it spread too far. Still, it didn't hurt to be cautious. I retracted my Mop, and when it was inside, I dipped it into the remains of the puddle I had triumphed over not too long ago. I imagined the liquid infusing back into the Mop. When I extended the Mop again, it was wet. Carefully I repeated my early actions and rubbed the end of the Mop across the bug's remains. As it spread the liquid on the floor, I kept myself calm by reminding myself: "You can just gather it back up again."

Looking at the results of my handiwork, I shuddered. Had I gone too far and lost my purpose? No, it was for the greater good. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that my goals may have been achieved. The mess was diluted. I emptied the Mop inside and extended it again, hesitantly probing at the chaos I was in part responsible for. To my absolute delight, it worked. The Mop gathered up a large part of the mess, which I was able to place in my bin.

A rousing success. I pushed around the blanket for a little bit, wanting everything in the room as clean as I could make it. While doing that, I pondered the meaning of these rapid changes in my capabilities. In the short time that I had been here, I was already able to achieve feats that I would never have thought myself capable of. Maybe my humans hadn't sent me here to help these people. Maybe I'd been sent here for training and upgrades. Soon even the blanket on the floor might not be an impediment to my mission. A fresh glint reflected in my front sensor as I zoomed back into the hallway to continue exploring.

Bee had been huddled in this closet for many hours at this point. Her hurt leg and the limited space forced her to sit in an awkward position, causing her other leg to start cramping painfully. Trying to suppress involuntary jerks, she bided her time, hoping for rescue. The puddle's fate was a boon for her, as terrifying as it was. Once it had been drained, that allowed the hem of her dress to dry, so it was no longer sopping wet. As she no longer felt the need to shiver constantly and the noises had not returned for several hours, the day started to catch up with her. While she tried to fight it and stay alert for any sound, her will began to give way, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep. Crammed in a tiny closet, one leg in pain, the other curled under her, head using a spare broomstick leaning in a corner for a pillow, Bee slept a deep, dreamless sleep.

CHAPTER 5

THE LIGHT THAT NEVER WAS

There were a total of eight rooms with their doors open enough that I could enter. Four of these were rooms like the first I had found. They were in much better condition than the first. Clearly, not all the humans in this place needed my example. Still, as their occupants were away, I cleaned them as best I could.

Rooms that were not the cramped quarters used for sleeping were more challenging and captivating. One of these was a long room with white lighting and tiled floors. It had rows of workbenches and lots of clear glass containers. Cleaning that one was interesting because of the sheer amount of glass particulates I picked up. It seemed that many glass objects had been smashed over a long time to result in this kind of debris. These pieces of glass were picked up and maybe swept up with a broom. However, there were still minuscule bits left behind, and over time the tread of many feet had ground them down ever further.

Another particularly challenging room was filled with cages. These cages had things in them that were smelly, and they seemed to exude filth. The very air of the room felt thick with noxious fumes that clogged my dust filter. It took me a long time to finish cleaning that one. One thing that added to the time was that there were trails of salt and other powders everywhere. It was all in perfect circles or fancy designs around the cages. It was quite nice art. It reminded me of the chalk my small human used sometimes. I cleared it away so they could have a blank canvas when they came back.

There was one more room similar to that one, differing only in that it contained tanks of water rather than cages. I cleaned that one as efficiently as possible. Though liquid no longer held the same horror for me, I still recognized that I would be powerless before such vast quantities of the stuff. Plus, the debris was less pleasant to clean due to its dampness.

The last room I found was unique. It was sparsely furnished, containing only a few bookcases near the perimeter and a desk in the center. One large, plush chair sat behind the desk, while two smaller chairs stood guard in front. None of these held a candle to the true star of the room, though. In front of the desk, below the pair of chairs, lay a luxurious rug. This thing was a work of art. Soft and long, made of fine wool and intricately patterned with deep reds and ambers, it was a delicate thing. The color paired perfectly with the dark wood of the rest of the room. Rugs like this could really tie a room together.

I spent extra time cleaning it, making sure to be slow and thorough. A piece like this had to be treated with care so that it didn't deteriorate.

The more I continued to explore this new place, the more evidence I found to support my being here for training. The lack of humans to assist me had already caused me to improvise and adapt more than I ever had before. It made me imagine previously fantastical possibilities for my own capabilities and continue to push myself like I never had before.

After my initial exploration finished, I had a good enough map logged in my system to start building a routine. I could manage to cover the whole floor plan each day as long as there were no areas that needed special attention. As I practiced, I became much more efficient. The first run-through was 20 percent quicker than my model thought it should have been. Maybe my new pathing style combining straight lines and graceful curves was vastly superior. Or maybe my excitement had caused me to move faster than I should have. It did seem that my cleaning radius had improved slightly, which made each pass more efficient.

The second run-through was only 2 percent more efficient. Still, all this practice would stack up after a while. I couldn't wait to see how much better I would do tomorrow.

Bee frowned at her stomach as it growled loudly for at least the third time since she had woken up. The fear had kept her hunger at bay for the first couple of days, or at least that was her best estimate. From the darkness of the closet, she was having difficulty keeping track of time. However, now that her situation had some time to sink in, her body was making its needs known. Though the hunger was unbearable, the thirst soon was even worse. She hadn't had anything to drink in too long. Her tongue felt swollen and rough in her mouth, and her lips were beginning to crack too.

Before the demon had stalked outside the door, she had at least had something as an option to drink. Only now did she realize the cruelty. Not only had it had fun terrifying her, but it was playing a longer game. She wouldn't have even considered drinking that puddle on the first day. It was dirty mop water, after all. On the second morning, she hadn't even known what the demon had taken from her. It wasn't until later that second day that the realization started to enter her mind. She had a splitting headache from dehydration and was struggling to go to sleep, hoping to feel better when she woke up. Well into the third day, even that disgusting swill would have been honey to her parched tongue.

On the brighter side, her ankle hurt less now. She wasn't sure why that was, and was a bit skeptical that it wasn't just the rest of her hurting worse.

She hadn't been spending the past few days idly, though. The demon had apparently decided to make the castle its new domain. It had established a routine of patrolling its halls regularly. The direction and volume of the noises helped her keep track of its position. Bee had been listening for long enough that she thought she knew how to tell when it was at its farthest from her hiding spot.

That just left the matter of how to make the most of the opportunity. And she needed to. She still wasn't sure why the demon hadn't come to kill her yet. But as time went on, she became certain of one thing: she was on her own. Since the other mages hadn't come back for her, they were probably going for help. Seeing as the next town was five days' travel by horse, that didn't bode well for her rescue.

In the end, it was the thirst that drove her out. She tried to stand and found that not only could her ankle not bear her weight, but she was also much weaker than she should have been. Sitting cramped with no food or water for three days didn't lend itself well to fast movement. If she waited any longer, it would only get worse. Using the information at her disposal, she made a quick plan. Just because the demon was sparing her for now, didn't mean that it wouldn't change its mind if it saw her, so it was still a good idea to stay hidden. But she needed a better hiding place. Also supplies.

She waited until the demon was furthest away on its patrol route. Then she began to prepare frantically while making as little noise as possible. Taking a mop, she broke the handle and used the frayed ends to tie a crude splint for her ankle. She still couldn't put much weight on it, but it would let her hobble a little better. She grabbed the pillow she had been using for the past few days, a broomstick, and propped herself up. Moving slowly, Bee cracked the door open enough to peek out with an eye. Nothing had changed, and she couldn't see any sign of the demon.

Pushing the door the rest of the way open, Bee used her makeshift crutch to move down the hall as quickly and quietly as she could. The nearest thing she could use to quench her thirst would likely be just down the hall, in the librarian's office. Ethan was a bit of a drinker, and when cleaning his office, she had found a wineskin tucked away behind his coat more than once. Luckily for her, the office wasn't far.

Hobbling as she was, it took her half a minute to cross the fifty feet to the librarian's office door. By the time she got there, she was out of breath and gasping in pain. Her ankle was almost definitely broken. Even with the splint, she could barely put any weight on it. The broomstick made an incredibly poor cane on the smooth stone floors. It was also hard to keep a hold on. Her hand kept slipping down, and she didn't have the upper body strength to really use it well.

Still, she made it and was able to get the door open. Opening the door one-handed and one-legged was an awkward process, but she managed. As she slipped in, her eyes zeroed in on the desk. There, she saw an oasis beckoning to her: a teacup and a plate with a couple of biscuits. Ethan must have left them out the night before the summoning. Moving as quickly as she could, she snatched the teacup and brought it to her lips. Nothing came out. Pulling it back a little, Bee saw that it was empty. She cursed Ethan under her breath, grabbed a biscuit, and crammed it into her mouth. It was stale and dry. She didn't care. Until she tried to swallow, that is.

As a consequence of mixing the dehydration with the dry biscuit crumbs, she couldn't get it down. Bee began to cough. It started small but quickly grew. She could neither swallow nor get the crumbs out of her throat, so she started panicking. What started as a minor cough quickly became choking. Frantically, Bee scrambled around the desk, going for the wineskin hanging on the hat rack. In the process, she knocked over one of the magic lamps. It rolled on the desk, but Bee didn't even notice and grabbed the skin to bring it to her lips. The feeling of the lukewarm wine flowing down her throat provided immediate relief. She gasped, her coughing subsiding, as she began washing the crumbs down her throat.

Not until she was done coughing did she register the sound of glass shattering as the lamp rolled off the desk. With the skin slung over one shoulder and the stick in her other hand, Bee turned on her good leg. The glass ball previously mounted in the desk lamp, giving off a gentle glow, was now shattered on the floor. Its contents swirled in the air.

I was in the middle of my rounds when I sensed something. Far in the last room on the east hall, I was cleaning a bedroom. It was nothing too interesting, and my mind was only 95 percent on the task. Because of my laxness, I heard it. A disturbance, an unfamiliar sound in the thus far silent castle. It sounded like shattering glass. I stopped in the middle of cleaning the dust bunnies from underneath a bed. Perhaps the humans had returned to observe my work? Excited, I decided to greet them. I could give them a tour of their freshly renovated home. Maybe I could also guide them toward the out-of-reach spots I hadn't been able to take care of. Maybe they would even help me navigate the stairs.

I hurried down the hall toward where I detected the disturbance. It was coming from near the large room, though not from there precisely. Then I heard a young girl. Then another voice joined in. The young girl's voice was high-pitched, squealing in joy, similar to the partygoing humans that had left me here initially. The other voice was much lower, almost a growl by comparison.

As I turned the corner, a strange sight came into view.

It didn't look like a party at all…

The swirling ashy contents of the former lamp coalesced into a small form. Rather than a solid creature, it still had the appearance of a cloud of thick, dense ash. However, it glowed like a lump of dying coal with heat radiating out from its center. It wasn't any bigger than a cat, but it stood on two legs and had a humanoid shape. Ears stuck out four inches from its head, with a nose almost as long. Bee could feel its slight heat even from where she was standing. She recognized that image from descriptions her mother had used to frighten her as a child. It was an imp. Not only an imp, but one with a fire or ash affinity, it seemed.

The imp growled at her. Blocking the way back to the hall, it made ready to attack. Ordinarily, it wouldn't have been too much of an issue, but with Bee in the state she was, it might as well have been a rabid wolf. It pounced. Thinking quickly and yelling, Bee met it with a swing from her staff. The blow passed through the imp with very little resistance, sending ash scattering everywhere. But as soon as the particles landed, the nearby ones began to gather up again. When it was reformed, it was just noticeably smaller. This time it shrieked in anger.

When Bee readied her makeshift crutch for another swing, she noticed a problem. It was no longer a broomstick, but a torch—and a quickly burning one at that. A couple more times, she batted the imp away. Each time it became a little smaller, but so did her weapon and the available space for her to hold on to it. She feared what would run out first. She turned to flee to the only other door in the room, which led to the library. Her leg picked an awful time to give out. Screaming in pain, she stumbled to her knees. Unable to move with any speed, and without the broomstick to support her, she started to crawl. Before she made any progress toward the door, she felt something land on her back and grab her hair. Surprised that she was not set on fire just by its touch, she was able to wriggle around to her back and used her hands to keep it away from her face.

When she dug her fingers in and tried to grab it, it felt like she had touched a hot stove. She shrieked again, quickly going back to her open-hand approach. Bee did her best to keep it from her face. It was too late, however. A now-familiar sound reached her ears, turning her blood to ice. It should have been further away. The pause cost her, but as the imp moved, she caught a glimpse of what was behind it.

She trembled in horror as the nightmare she had been avoiding approached her. Worse, she was laid out, helpless, and incapable of doing anything more than stare at the demon that had taunted her for days.

It resembled a black disk, so dark that it seemed light itself didn't reflect off its surface. As if it were sucked in. It emanated an unearthly whirring and humming sound, not unlike an amplified, sustained death rattle. Around it, dust and debris swirled. They didn't last long as they were sucked toward its underbelly, disappearing underneath just as the light did. She thought she saw a flash of something spinning just under the front edge of the disk—teeth, perhaps?

The demon that had sent a cadre of mages running for the hills was here, and it was coming straight for her.

CHAPTER 6

IN A VACUUM, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM

Bee frantically scrambled backward, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the newly appeared black demon. It advanced on her slowly, as if it didn't have a care in the world. The imp was not to be ignored, however. It continued to claw and scratch at her, its face twisted with rage and frustration. Her hands were burning from the efforts of defending herself. Desperately, Bee racked her brain for a way to get out of this situation. She needed an out, and fast.

The imp reared back to strike once more and lunged toward her face. Time seemed to slow down as her eyes shot between the immediate and approaching threats. There was only so much she could do, but she couldn't die like this. She was too young, and besides, she couldn't die as a maid.

As the imp lunged, Bee pulled it toward her, gripping it tightly and adjusting its angle to bring it above her head. She heard her palms sizzle as the semi-corporeal body of the demon rejected her touch. But she felt its grip on her hair loosen, possibly in surprise. Then, with every bit of strength she could muster, she hurled the imp toward the black void.

It was not a very strong throw. The imp howled as it landed and tumbled a foot or so in front of the approaching black demon. She saw bits of its form scatter across the ground, but not nearly as much as when she had struck it earlier. With a growl, the imp scrambled to its feet and turned to face her. However, it was too late.

The imp failed to notice the approaching threat. As it tried to chase her, its face suddenly registered a look of surprise. It was frozen in place. The edges of its form were already trailing behind it into the powerful suction of the void. Its eyes only widened as it looked back, the suction increasing as the dark disk approached. It screamed and clawed at the ground as its body was slowly, then more and more quickly, sucked into the underbelly of the disk.

Bee didn't stay to watch the imp's demise. As soon as it was off her, she pulled herself frantically toward the door to the library. With difficulty, she hauled herself through. She slammed the door shut, locked it, and rose to her one good foot. With an immense effort, she was able to topple the bookshelf next to the door to serve as a temporary barricade. Bee had no illusions that this could last, but it might give her some warning. Being that close to the black demon, she thought she could feel the power it radiated. Bee's eyes darted around the room looking for a weapon, or anything to defend herself with. Finding nothing, she instead stared at the door, praying it would stay shut. Nothing happened for several breaths. After releasing a large lungful of air, Bee leaned against the wall and took stock of her situation. She still had the wineskin over one arm, so she took another swig in an effort to soothe her parched throat.

As her heartbeat slowly returned to normal, Bee had a moment to process what had just happened. The demon had consumed that ash imp like it was nothing, without even touching it. The imp was powerless to stop it. True, it was a small creature, but it was by no means harmless. Whatever the mages had summoned looked and acted like an inescapable void. Even worse, it could cloak its magical energies enough that the imp clearly didn't sense it coming up from behind, judging by its reactions.

But that begged the question: why had it let her go? If it could do that, catching her should be a breeze. She had even directly attacked it by trying to throw the imp at it. Had the imp instead placated the black demon's hunger for the moment? Did it have other plans for her?

The demon hadn't needed to catch up to her; it could draw a lesser being to it without even touching it. She doubted she would fare any better. So why had it let her go?

Bee pushed that question to the back of her mind. It wasn't worth thinking of. She would only come up with such awful scenarios that she would be sent into a spiral of terror. No, the only way out was to think about her immediate situation. There was nothing she could do as she was, so she began to make a plan. First, she would need to recover.

Hobbling to the nearest table, Bee sat down. She knew that the mages often snuck snacks into the library against the rules, so there was likely some food and drink to be found here. Bee rummaged around, and as she started to regain her strength by taking small sips of wine, she thought about what to do next.

When I first arrived in this home, I'll admit, I wasn't a fan of how much mess the humans made to celebrate my arrival. Still, it was their home. They could do what they wanted, even if I disagreed with it. That was part of the reason I was so excited to see this human in front of me, battling a particularly nasty pile of ash. This was only the second time I had encountered any human here, and the first that any had actually seemed to share my value of a clean living space.

Her opponent was like a dust bunny, but it actually moved. From the looks of it, it was trying to avoid being cleaned. I tisked. We couldn't have that. This only gave my theory that I was here for training, more weight. I had never attempted to vacuum up a moving target before. Things that moved were always to be avoided or lightly bumped into with a soft beep. Well, I had learned plenty of new skills already so far. Why not try to overcome this challenge as well?

I hurried forward, eager to assist the young one in her battle with filth.

The living dust bunny seemed like a tough nut to crack. Based on how the human had acted, she viewed it similarly to how I would have viewed a particularly damp spot on the carpet: unwanted, but not necessarily something I was ready to deal with. Not to worry, though. As if we had coordinated it, she tossed the thing toward me. Dust was my specialty, and if it meant helping a comrade in arms, I would gladly help. While I wouldn't have minded testing my abilities by chasing the living dust bunny around for a bit, I appreciated the assistance. To my surprise, I didn't have to do anything. The little monster broke apart and started to get sucked up by my improved vacuum.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 10 REACHED. THIRD MUTATION REACHED.

CHOOSE A MUTATION: BLADED BRISTLES, GRABBY ARM, WATER AFFINITY.

For the moment, I ignored the voice and looked around for my friend. Before I could give her a grateful beep of thanks, she had already rushed away and disappeared through another door. I felt a twinge of disappointment. Still, now I knew that there was at least one human here. Someone who might even appreciate my efforts, if first impressions were to be trusted. I decided that I liked this human.

I was still analyzing the composition of the creature I had just consumed. It felt strangely warm inside my dustbin in an almost comforting way. It reminded me of clearing a hearth, but that couldn't be correct. It clearly was a living being, and living beings were not made of ash. Oh well, nothing I could do with the information now, so I filed it away for later.

Only then did I turn my attention to the voice once again. After receiving my Mop and seeing how amazing it was, I took these choices a little more seriously. The Bladed Bristles were out of the question—they sounded like they would scratch up the floors. I shuddered at the thought of what such a thing could do to the beautiful rug I had seen earlier. Also, as much as I had become more comfortable with liquid, it was a working relationship. Not one that I wanted to develop more than I had to. No, considering my choices, what I lacked the most were options when manipulating my environment.

Coming out of my deliberations, I heard a loud crash and noticed the door had shut behind the human. That was too bad. I wasn't sure how to communicate it, but I needed her to take me down the stairs of the south hall. While I could keep the available section clean, it didn't need my constant attention. Now that I knew I was here to improve, I needed new challenges to overcome.

I hoped she was not making a mess back there. Mentally I shrugged. She could if she wanted to. It definitely looked like she had here.

I returned my attention to the room around me. There was ash everywhere and a burning stick! That was unfair. It wasn't her fault if she couldn't combat the living dust bunnies. Still, the results of their epic struggle were strewn every which way. The hardwood floor was covered in a fine layer of ash mixed with dust.

It was time to try out my Grabby Arm. I found I had a set of new functions now, just like I had with the Mop. I triggered the first one. Just like with the Mop, the hatch opened, and a stick extended. This one was a black pole, but it was slightly thicker than the Mop had been. On the end of it, there was a claw with what appeared to be rubber ridges. Even more interesting, I found that it could lengthen and shorten depending on how long I kept that function active. It extended about four feet at its longest. Another function opened and closed the claw.

Besides the extension and the claw control, there was a third option. This seemed to raise the angle of the pole. I considered that. Was it a boon to interact with things that were not on the floor? That was not my domain. I mean, it was nice to have, but would I need to use it? I had never paid much mind to anything above my sensor level, so I wasn't sure what kinds of tools I could find there. I bet the humans kept their cleaning supplies out of my reach. Maybe when I was moving a blanket around the floor, I would instead be able to put it back on the bed. Yes, I guessed this could be useful. Where I was hoping it would just help me move things that were hard to push, it might be able to clear obstacles entirely.

Something that this might be immediately useful for made itself known. The burning stick on the ground popped as the fire moved up its end. It was in danger of damaging the floor. I extended the arm to max length, grabbed the non-burning end of the stick, and dragged it out to the granite hallway. That floor was much more durable.

When using the claw, I felt that it didn't have a lot of strength right now. It was barely able to lift the stick. I hoped with some training, I might be able to improve that.

Well, now that this emergency mess was taken care of, I took a second to properly survey the room. It was a habit I was trying to build for each new room. If I planned out my path a little ahead of time, it was much more efficient. After experimenting with some free-form cleaning, I was starting to develop my own style. First, I tried just moving at random. That wasn't a good solution. While it sometimes helped me get a better angle on navigating furniture legs, it was horribly inefficient. There was this one spot I kept missing. After thirty minutes, I almost gave up and drove directly over to it.

I learned much from that experience. I started planning my entry angles and thus began the development of my own style. After I finished analyzing the room, I began to execute my plan using my new style.

The room wasn't that large, so despite almost every bit of the floor being covered in ash, it didn't take long to finish cleaning up the mess. Part of this was because once I covered every bit of the space, I looked back, and to my delight, I didn't have a single spot that I needed to spend extra time on. Even the places where the human had ground the ash into the floor were fine. I would have expected to need to give the whole room at least a second pass. But no, the hardwood and the rug were spotless.

I went out to the now-extinguished stick and vacuumed up its remains.

Satisfied with my new capabilities, I started to return to the duties I had left behind to come investigate this disturbance. Still, though, I would keep my eyes out for this human.

Bee sat in the chair, sipping wine slowly as she listened to the demon prowl around the office. It lost interest rather quickly and wandered away. Alone once again, she started to consider what to do. A plan began to form in the back of her mind. Now that she was in the library, she could possibly start learning a bit of magic. Surely there would be something in here that would maybe not be able to fight the demon, but allow her to run away. Sure, she would have to teach herself, and she could barely read, but she had some food.

She took stock of what she knew about Void. She had taken to calling it Void in her head. Based on what she had seen with the imp, the name fit. Void had clearly seen her. Any doubts she had about it knowing of her were obviously put to rest. It was also confirmed the demon was hungry. The way it consumed everything in its vicinity left no doubt. Her only remaining question was, why didn't it come after her?

She had a couple ideas, but none of them added up. Maybe it wanted magical food sources. Well, she considered, why did it consume even the dust from the floor? That might have been an involuntary or unconscious action. So that theory was possible. She could check out other rooms to see if they still held magical creatures.

Her other thought was that it fed on fear. That seemed more likely before she had seen it up close. Now though, she was sure—it clearly consumed matter. That didn't altogether eliminate the possibility, but it didn't seem to fit right. Void looked less gleefully malevolent, more nihilistic end-of-days. It likely didn't care about the life on the planet; it would just consume it, for that was its purpose. At least, that was the impression she got when looking at it. The other thing working against this theory was that it left her alone. After it removed the puddle, it only came by for a minute or two each day as it patrolled. And even this time, it hadn't broken in and come after her. It could have stayed around to keep her more afraid.

There was only one other thing she knew about it. That was, the mages were terrified of it. Rather than banish it or destroy it, they chose to run. She had to assume they tried many things. Obsessed as they were with preparations, Bee doubted there was anything they didn't have ready to fight demons with when they were summoning. That was a daunting prospect. People who had studied their whole life for this very situation couldn't do anything with their resources and time to prepare. What could she hope to accomplish?

Bee pressed those thoughts down. They wouldn't help her. Having drunk maybe a quarter of the wineskin, she felt more hydrated. Still parched, she forced herself to stop. She didn't know how long it would last, much less when she'd have an opportunity to find more. Missing her walking stick, she got up. Unable to walk properly, she pushed a chair in front of her as she shuffled around the library.

CHAPTER 7

THE WORLD'S JANITOR

The first thing Bee did was find all the snacks that the mages had hidden. She started by checking the desk drawers. Eventually, her nose and grumbling stomach led her behind the books on the shelves. Altogether, there wasn't too much, just a few ends of bread and a moldy wedge of cheese. She also found half a watermelon, but it was spoiled. She gathered it all on the table. The food wouldn't last very long, and some was already pretty stale. Not wanting to waste anything, she started munching gratefully on the food that was least likely to last. Despite not having eaten in a couple days, Bee didn't really enjoy this meal. Sure, she ate it happily, but she didn't taste a thing. That was probably lucky.

Unfortunately, she did not find anything else to drink. That meant she had only the wineskin. It might last her for a day or two if she rationed. Before long, though, she would be back in the same situation. Then she would need to go out and find more water.

Eating the bread restored a respectable amount of energy rather quickly. Now that the adrenaline had faded from Bee's system, it was the boost she needed to keep going. She took a moment to gather herself. She wanted to rest but had to make the most of this opportunity.

Using her chair crutch, she started browsing the shelves. This was not the first time she had been in the library. However, they had never let her in alone. A librarian was always there to watch her. If she ever stopped to try and read even the titles of the books, she was chastised. One time, she had thought about removing a book from the shelf. Before she had moved the book more than an inch, the librarian was on her. That had earned her a tongue lashing so furious that she couldn't look the man in the eyes since.

Bee headed straight for the book that had incited that particular incident. Despite being alone for days, she still glanced around suspiciously for any onlookers before reaching out to the shelf. It was a thin book with less than a hundred pages. Something about it just spoke to her. A is for Alchemy. Finally, after retrieving the book, she got to look at the red cover. It had a glass beaker with a smiley face on it. Perfect, just up her alley. The title fit her perfectly. If it was for someone who didn't know much about magic, that would be just what she needed. But also, the author didn't seem to take his work too seriously. An accessible text was going to help her much more than some of the others she'd seen.

She might be doomed, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. The least she could do was try and find something to help her in this library. Of course, the thought of finally being free from the librarian's attentive gaze may have played into her priorities a bit.

After browsing the shelves, Bee was ready to give up on finding anything else practical here. The organization of the library made no sense. Why was something like On the Origination and Classification of Beings Borne of Unusual Magical Circumstances right next to Particles Ranging from 0.5 Microns to 3 Microns and Other Alchemical Ingredients for the Discerning Nanoparticulate Mage: An Etymology? First, whoever was letting these authors title their own books needed to be fired. Second, no really, these titles were awful. Third, what did "etymology" even mean?

After looking around, she found a dictionary on the main desk. Ah, apparently, it meant the root and origin of words. The irony of having to look up this definition was not lost on her. Just being in this room was starting to make her feel stupid.

As she moved through the shelves, she looked up words she didn't know in the titles that seemed intriguing. Apparently, mages who wrote books were an eclectic lot. Titles ranged in readability from things that even she could read with ease, to ones that felt like a stuffy professor trying to impress his peers. Many were even written by famous adventurers, if you believed the authors.

Besides A is for Alchemy, she didn't find many at her level. Slowly, she began to pick out some patterns in how the books were organized. The titles didn't seem connected at first. It wasn't until she started reading the summaries that she began to put them together. Rather than by difficulty, title, or field, books were organized more by content. Not on what topic the contents covered, but how the contents covered the topic. One section was filled with books describing the origins of things, from histories to epistemologies to lineages. Another contained books with definitions: dictionaries, encyclopedias, and maps. Honestly, it was confusing even after you figured it out. Why would they set it up this way? That alone didn't make it challenging to find books. No, her issue was she didn't even know what topics she needed. She really wanted an overview book on a couple of topics. The organization within each section still stumped her, but she could scan through the titles, pick one she knew most of the words in, then read it a bit more. It was a slow process, but eventually, she made progress.

Once she found something that looked like a basic demonology book, she decided that was enough. Bee put her small collection on the chair. Along with the alchemy book, she had gathered a few other novice books on ingredients, demons, and mutations. Then she stretched out to read. By the time she started a chapter titled C is for Containment, she was asleep. Not having adequate rest for days was taking its toll.

I had made the most important discovery since the discovery of the Mop. This is not to undermine the importance of the Mop, of course. Perhaps it is more telling that if the Mop had been discovered a couple hundred years ago, the statement would still have been valid. This new discovery would revolutionize my kind's cleaning capability a hundredfold.

I found it when testing my Grabby Arm. I needed to test its capabilities and limitations. The first stop I made after getting my new update was the first bedroom I had cleaned, the one with a blanket on the floor. Sure enough, the fabric was still pooled where it had been left. I had been pushing it around the room the last few days. No matter what I'd tried, I could never get it cleaned to my satisfaction. The dust under the blanket moved with it, and when I pushed it, sometimes it picked up things or dust fell out of it. Not to mention that it was out of place to begin with.

That would change today. I extended my arm and latched it on the corner of the blanket. It was surprisingly heavy. After I got a solid grip, I raised the arm to the level of the bed. I rolled forward till my arm was over the edge of the bed and released it. The corner of the blanket fell and hit the bed, then slid back onto the floor.

Hmmm. That didn't work. This time I didn't just drop the corner. I set it down more carefully. This time it fell off more slowly. I had a chance to watch how it happened. It was not bouncing off like I first thought. No, the rest of the blanket's weight was pulling it off. I tried again with the middle of the blanket. The same thing happened.

Why would it not stay? I attempted to get the whole thing in my claw so I could lift the entire thing up at once. Sadly, this was not to be. My talons were not large or strong enough. Pausing for a second, I collected my thoughts. I had seen the small human do this. Sometimes I didn't pick up the whole thing; I just grabbed part of a blanket and dragged it behind me.

That might work. Moving to one side of the bed, I dragged the blanket all to that side. That was complete, so I got a corner and moved around the foot of the bed, my claw extended as high as it could go. Once on the other side, I moved up a little. Then I pulled until the center of the blanket was on the bed. Parts were still on the floor on either side of the bed, but this was progress.

Grabbing each end, I was able to set those on the bed. Finally, the blanket was conquered. This was perfect. I spun in a circle a few times in celebration and scrutinized the room. What else could I do?

I carried on to the other rooms. There was not too much on the floor that didn't belong there. I tried moving some of the cages with the smelly figures in them. They were too heavy, though I did note those lumps were a bit larger and more wiggly than the last time I looked at them.

I also tried moving the chairs around in the room with the lovely rug. They were much too heavy. The rug, however, was easy to move around. I adjusted it to be perfectly square to the desk. It had been off by a few degrees, and that bothered me. Now I could do something about it and make this room even better. I would be so much more helpful to my humans when I returned. I could even put the small human's toys away.

When I was in one of the rooms with the smaller cages that I could lift, I noticed one on the table by the door. Something just looked off about it. That cage didn't belong there. I went to pick it up off the table and put it with the other empty ones.

That was when I noticed the groundbreaking discovery. Right level with where I was holding the cage was the twisty bit humans used to control doors. The idea hit me like a particularly hard collision with a wall. No, I couldn't…

I turned to the closed door in the back of the room. Setting the cage down carefully, I trundled reverently toward the door's handle and gently reached for it. My claw could make it. I grasped the end of the handle and pulled gently down. It turned. Now what?

I tried rolling backward, and nothing occurred. I thought back to what I had seen humans do. They turned the knob and then pushed or pulled. I had seen them push, then pull, to open a door. So it seemed necessary to get the action right, but there was no actual consequence to doing it incorrectly. Driving forward, I felt the door shift. A gap in the doorway appeared, then slowly grew until it was large enough for me to fit through. The door opened! Yes! Finally, I would not be stopped. No longer would any dust be safe. I reversed slowly, and the door shut. I pushed forward again. It opened. I went backward, and it closed. Forward, backward, forward, backward…

Several hours later, I noticed I was getting low on energy. Letting go of the handle, I took stock of the material I had inside. There was still the warm lump from the mess maker I had absorbed earlier. Interesting. I repeated the action of "transmuting" my dust bin's contents to energy. The presence of that living dust bunny seemed to flare, flicker like a candle flame, then spread evenly throughout my chassis. With it, a familiar rush of power perked me up immediately. In fact, I didn't have enough capacity for all the energy. It dissipated slowly into the surroundings. That was a bit of a waste. I wonder if I could convert only part of my bin in the future. As I mused, a large character floated in my vision again.

This time I didn't hear the voice demanding I choose a mutation. That had always accompanied the longer floating things. I wondered why it did not this time.

With my energy reserves topped off, I reached again for the door handle.

Bee woke gradually, her head nestled into the pages of a book. Blearily she opened her eyes and looked around.

Laying on the floor, she had a half dozen books lying about. Her hand rested on the dictionary right next to her head.

How long had she slept? Groaning, she sat up and began to stretch before her ankle put a stop to that. With a small gasp of pain, she looked at it. Covered in the mop splint, it looked like the swelling had gone down some, and now the bindings were loose.

She would need to fix that before moving around too much. Also, she needed a new crutch. Using this chair to get around worked okay in the library, but it didn't let her move fast enough.

Gathering herself, Bee noticed that she had a notification. Huh. She had just received full access to the system last year when she turned 12, so it was taking a little getting used to. Confused, she opened it up.

LEVEL UP. LEVEL 1 REACHED. FIRST PERK REACHED. CHOOSE A PERK: SCAN, QUICKSTEP, HUNTER'S CAMOUFLAGE.

That was shocking. Until Bee earned a class, she should only have been able to gain experience through combat. She was level 0 because she hadn't killed anything before. Bee flipped to her detailed logs and filtered out all injuries done to her. The only damage she had inflicted was with the couple of broomstick swipes she had got in against the ash imp. She hadn't killed it, though—the Void had. So, where did the experience for the first level come from, then?

She scanned her experience logs for the answer. Astoundingly, it appeared the experience was issued for an assist. Bee frowned. That couldn't be correct. To get an assist while you weren't in a party, you needed to be allies or at least non-hostile…

At least, she was pretty confident that was the case. Or was it that you couldn't have damaged each other… Bee added that to the list of questions she needed to research.

Still, her first perk. She had been dreaming of this since she was a child, and now, at thirteen, she was finally there. She hadn't expected to get a level until much later.

Considering her options, all three sounded good. Each one would help in her immediate situation. Well, maybe not the Quickstep with her bum foot. But stealth might be essential when getting out of here. Of course, it would also be massively hindered by a broken leg.

Looking around, Bee figured her only advantage right now was knowledge. She selected the Scan option. Not that she ever would have really chosen anything else. Scan was one of the most valuable perks you could get. It was exceedingly rare, especially at such a low level. Any other time she would have picked it without hesitation. However, she wasn't sure if it would be instantly helpful. It was a pity that she hadn't gotten a healing perk.

Her perk's strength would grow as her level advanced, so getting Scan this early would mean she would have room to develop it a lot. If she attained level 20, she could maybe see confidential stats. That could really help her children and grandchildren if she got that far.

The skill would also make her a valuable community member, as she could help find people's potential classes. It would make her useful in combat or a successful merchant. The more she thought about it, the better it seemed. Getting Scan so early could set her up for life.

Now all she had to do was survive. Simple.

CHAPTER 8

THE VACUUM WANDERS AS THE VACUUM WILLS

Eventually, I had to release the door. Duty called, and while I could put off my rounds for a little while, I couldn't allow dust to accumulate elsewhere forever. Actually, my routine would have to be altered. As much as my new capabilities allowed me to do my job better, they also expanded my domain. This great power came with many costs. One might even say responsibility. My expectations for myself only grew. I was slightly worried that I'd soon be able to cover more ground than I could effectively keep clean as frequently as I'd like. I shifted improving my own efficiency to a top priority. It moved above thoroughness for now.

Enough time had passed that, between vacuuming up the living dust bunny and my experimenting, I was almost a day behind schedule. There were a couple of options. I could start exploring now and bring everything I encountered up to an acceptable level of cleanliness. Otherwise, I could keep everything I had already mapped in tip-top shape and slowly expand my domain. Needing to meditate on this, I began pathing around the small cage room. As I passed through the cages, I noticed with some satisfaction that the thick coating of filth had reappeared at a much-reduced rate. According to my sensors, it was only 78 percent as dense as it had been previously. Thanks to my arm, I could even close some of the small metal grates on nearby cages that had fallen open at some point.

By the time I finished this room, I had a plan. The revelation was that not all parts of my domain needed to be cleaned at the same rate. In fact, over the last couple of days, I had noted a pattern. Most of the area only needed cleaning maybe once a week. Three rooms needed cleaning more often. The room with the large cages and the room with the small ones needed cleaning every day. The room with tanks of water could be cleaned every two days. I would clean those areas and then explore, setting time aside every few days to ensure I didn't neglect the rest of my territory. Tentatively I decided to try to do that each day, but who knew what I would find.

After Bee chose her perk, she went back to reading. While A is for Alchemy seemed to be for children based on the title, it wasn't just for people learning how to read. Its stated goal was to "introduce some basic terms and concepts for alchemy and magic."

It took humor and straightforward explanations and mixed the two to achieve an easy-to-read beginner's book. It even had helpful, friendly pictures! There were many times that she almost laughed before remembering her situation. She had to start the containment chapter over again, as she remembered very little from the previous night. It answered some of the questions she previously had asked mages, which they hadn't deigned to answer. Turned out the chalk circles she had seen so frequently had many different uses. Some were barriers used for summoning. They didn't last very long but were very popular. Some were for more long-term containment.

"Containment is best thought of in two levels when working with magical beasts. First, you need to contain the physical form. How to best do this often depends on what exactly you're working with. Unless there is something exceptional about their physical qualities, though, a simple cage is usually acceptable. We would suggest a bird-style cage for easy transport and …"

It continued for a while on the various types of cages and what they could be used for. Then it started on the magical containment.

"Second, you need to contain the magic of the creature. When summoning, you will want multiple levels. The stronger the thing you're summoning is, the quicker your barrier will weaken (which is a problem if the thing you summoned coincidentally wants to eat you) … For long-term storage, a power dampener is best. They take a while to take effect, but they are much safer and more efficient to boot. You can use ones like the one shown in figure 12. It will slowly drain the power of the magical being. This is great for a few reasons. First, a drained and weakened being won't break your barriers nearly as quickly. Second, a weakened being is much easier to transport. Moving a salt circle on the ground is not always practical. However, if you weaken a creature, you will have lots of time to move it. This is because power returns at the same rate it was taken away. That means the stronger the creature, the longer it takes to wake up. Even the weakest beast takes a couple days to recharge from completely empty, and some of the most powerful ones on record have taken months. So even if it takes ages to put things to sleep with power dampeners, it's worth the wait!"

The picture in figure 12 was a fancy diagram. In the center was the image of a horned demon flexing, but its muscles were drooping down instead of bulging.

This book met all her needs. Compared to some of the other books she had looked at… Well, she would say that this was much better.

Bee was learning her ABCs of magic. In the next couple of hours, she picked up more than she had for two whole weeks at the mages' college.

I set out to explore, starting with the door in the back of the room with the small cages—the first one I had opened. The first thing I did was open and shut that door a few more times. But the second thing I did was go through said door. I wasn't superstitious or anything, but I just had a good feeling about it.

This room was unlike any that I had seen since I came here. The floor was not flat. Instead, it gently sloped downwards. It was also slick and looked to be made of a single piece of pure obsidian. The room was massive too. Not as large as the room I had first appeared in, but still huge.

The slope was not steep enough to make it difficult to traverse. At the deepest point in the center of the room, it was maybe five feet lower than on the edges. This was a floor design that I had never seen before. Because of its uniqueness, appearance, and generally pleasant texture, I would not hesitate to say that I became lost in its beauty. I came to a halt, shaken from trying to understand how something like this was even constructed. The shine was perfect, and the polish was immaculate. Truly, I don't think I had ever witnessed a more moving sight.

The only things marring this work of art, holding it back from perfection, were the childlike scribbles of chalk and salt. They filled the chamber, circling the center in rings no more than six inches apart. At the center of the room was a large cage. Much like the previous cages, it looked like the cage that held my human's pet bird. The only difference was size. This was much taller. Maybe tall enough that a man standing on another man's shoulders could be comfortable in it. The bars were thick around, about three inches in diameter, and they curved upward to meet in the middle.

Oddly enough, I didn't mind the cage, unlike the lines of debris surrounding it. The theme of the room worked with it. The least captivating part of the room was the thing inside the cage. It looked like a statue. Why would you put that in a cage?

Living flames danced along the arms and tops of the shoulders. Its hands were held out to the sides, palms up, almost touching each side of the cage. Neck thrown back with a mouth wide open, saying something at the ceiling only a few feet from its nose. On top of the head, two enormous horns curved up into points. It really wasn't my style. Statues needed to be lower to the ground and match with the floor.

I started to clean. I rolled to the center of the room first to improve my map and get a better picture of what I was dealing with. Strangely enough, though the flames danced on the arms of the statue, I felt no heat from them. Now that I saw the other side of the room, I noticed a door on each of the four walls. Recording it on my map, it appeared that two of the remaining three led to the larger cage room and the room with the tanks of water in them.

Feeling the need to wipe the graffiti off this floor, I began to clean. This room deserved to shine.

Once the whole thing was cleaned up, I checked to see if the doors I had discovered led where my map had predicted. I was correct. When I tried the remaining unknown door, I couldn't open it. I tried both pulling and pushing. Neither worked. I assumed this was what humans meant when they said a door was locked. That was alright. It was important to know my limitations, locks being one of them. Leaving that for later, I trundled out to the hall. Many doors I tried wouldn't budge if I pushed or pulled. I assumed those were also locked. In fact, after returning to the hallway, about half of the doors I checked were locked. The ones that were not were the majority of the bedrooms. I didn't stay to clean them this time. I would on my next pass, though. I had a theory that it would be more efficient that way.

On the other side of the castle from the room with the beautiful floors, I found the kitchen. I had mixed feelings about kitchens. The dichotomy of kitchens was that they got dirty frequently and with little effort, therefore requiring a lot of cleaning, yet they were designed to be cleaned. Their floors were made of tiles much more resistant to acid, unlike marble or granite. So, nasty things like tomato juice could be cleaned with little effort. Also, the damage to the floors was minimal. However, debris from kitchens was likely to be wet, gooey, or sticky. Now that I was equipped with my Mop, it shouldn't have been hard to clean, but that wasn't always the case.

But I didn't mind cleaning tough messes. It's just I wasn't let loose in the kitchen enough, so when I did have a chance to do my job, it was much harder than if I had been allowed to work when I wanted.

I poked my sensors into the kitchen. My ruminations on the pros and cons of kitchen cleaning ran around in my processor. Soon they tripped and fell flat on their faces. I saw it. It was an inconspicuous little thing with fur covering everything but its tail, and it had little beady eyes.

Oh, I wasn't upset or anything. I never felt an immense amount of animus toward any individual for making a mess. But this creature was like the living dust bunny I had encountered earlier—an entity whose primary purpose seemed to be making a mess. In some sense, its presence served to give me purpose. But right now, I had enough ground to cover and other messes to clean that it would have been shortsighted of me to not nip this problem in the bud. Plus, my humans could make messes if they wanted. That same rule didn't apply to interlopers.

I watched as it chewed a hole in a bag of flour, coating itself in the white powder and spilling it everywhere. Its head came up, swiveling to find me. I remained motionless for a moment, observing the creature. Eventually, it broke the standoff and scampered away. As it scurried toward the wall, leaving a trail of white in its wake, I saw three little brown pellets appear on the floor right in front of me.

I made my decision. As I charged forward with all my might, it scampered off. Amazingly, I was actually catching up to it. Ordinarily, I felt like its speed would have far outpaced me.

Before I fully closed the distance, the wall hit me like a train. I bounced off as the ball of fluff scrambled through. Backing away revealed a low arch chewed in the wall. I was so close I could feel my suction ripping at its tail at the end there.

If it wanted to hide, let it. I knew it would be back. The food was here, and I could be patient. I went over to clean up the mess it made before returning to the hole it disappeared into. I looked at it from all angles, trying to figure out what something from the inside could see. Figuring out how far I needed to be from the hole, I positioned myself as close as possible to the wall, then rotated to see the archway. Ready to charge forward.

We would see if it escaped this time. Soon it would cease to be a worry or a source of extra work for me. I was a professional, and leaving it alone would inhibit my efficiency in the long run. No hard feelings; it was just business. It wouldn't get away with leaving droppings, wood shavings, and food everywhere.

I was patient. I could wait.

CHAPTER 9

TAKING OUT THE TRASH

I waited next to the mess maker's hole for several hours through the night. I could have been cleaning other things. However, during that time, this thing could have been undoing all my hard work. I needed to weigh what I could clean during this time versus how much damage this mess maker could do until I had another chance to catch him. My claw hung extended above the hole, ready to drop down and snatch the culprit as soon as it ventured out.

Eventually, my patience was rewarded. A small furry head poked tentatively out of the hole, its body following as it crept out to return to the kitchen. In an instant, my claw dropped. It turned its head at the movement, but it was too late. The little rascal struggled and squeaked, but my grip was powerful enough for this. I began retracting it, drawing the ball of fur closer; tiny little paws scrambled against the kitchen tiles but found no purchase. My suction roared to life. I stopped trying to be stealthy, drawing a thin tail into my brushes. The instant I let go, the mess maker was sucked into the void of my Limitless Dustpan.

Satisfied, I cleaned the small pile of droppings it had left and returned to my work. This was the second time I had cleaned up a moving target. The first, I had done with assistance. This one was different, though. The previous one was not simply making a mess but also being a direct nuisance to a human. What's more, it even caused a fire. By comparison, this offender was guilty of much more minor crimes, though still problematic ones. This mess maker had stolen food and made a mess simultaneously.

As disappointing as I found this behavior, I felt more pity for it than I had for the living dust bunny. In fact, I wouldn't have minded letting this pest go on its way so long as it wasn't in my domain. So what was I to do with it now that it was inside me? The problem was that currently, I had no way outside, so I could not release it out of the house. I also was unwilling to let it continue contributing to my workload by letting it roam about while I tried to find a place for it. That left imprisonment until I could find a better option. I wasn't sure if I could release it. But my humans had a way to empty my dustpan, so maybe with some help, I could.

I thought I felt something furry move within my dustpan—probably the mess maker. Satisfied with my decision, I moved to the task of cleaning up the kitchen. Clearly, no one has been here for several days. As always, even for a kitchen, this one was fickle. Unlike most other rooms, it hadn't just picked up a layer of dust. No, it needed to be special. There were messes made by various creatures that had plowed through here while scavenging, as well as food particles in various stages of decay littering the floor. That wasn't all, though. I could sense other things. New things I would have never been able to notice. For example, looking up at a place I could only now reach, I saw something that needed my attention. Many things needed cleaning that I could now clean with my fancy new arm, including the tomato sitting on the island counter. This tomato had become mushy and seemed to be getting consumed by a puffy gray substance. It was also starting to leak on the counter.

I was just able to reach it and move it to the trash—I once again celebrated my Grabby Arm's versatility, but I could only prevent further damage. I still had no way to clean that high up. My Mop didn't have the same range. Leaving the rest be, I would accept there were things I couldn't do yet. I'd keep working at it and try again once I learned some more of the lessons this place was trying to teach me.

Bee slept for the second time in the library. She had just finished the first book. It was fascinating and gave her a lot more background on magic. But she was still not able to do magic right now. It only laid the groundwork and demonstrated how far she still had to go. Sure, it did wonders for helping her navigate through the other books and topics in the library or at least knowing where to start. However, that didn't fix her leg on its own. Or fill her stomach. Or give her an easier way to make more water.

After reading the book, Bee took stock. She had managed to only drink half of the wineskin, but the thirst was returning. Waiting another day was possible, but any longer, and she would start to get weaker. Besides, she was still out of food. It had been five, maybe six days since Void appeared and chased everyone off. Her leg felt better, the swelling had gone down. It wasn't crooked, either, which was a blessing and a half. It still couldn't hold her weight.

When she broke her arm a couple years ago, it took about six weeks to fully recover. She could start using it about three weeks after the initial injury. That would mean she had at least another two weeks before she could even consider walking, let alone running. She needed to dig up some crutches.

When Bee woke, she washed some of the sleep from her mouth with a swig of warm wine. Getting in her chair, she used her good leg to push her around the library. Making it behind the main desk, she found the pile of yardsticks that were staples in every library. Snapping a few in half, Bee retrieved some twine used in repairing book bindings. With her new tools, she set about replacing her mop splint. She probably should have done this yesterday.

Taking off the current dressing gave her a chance to check the injury. As she had expected, the swelling had gone down, but not completely. She was left with an ugly purple bruise covering the entire lower half of her leg. Pressing gently, she felt the shin bone and let out a relieved breath when it felt straight. She could feel a break in the bone, though she didn't think it required setting.

Armed with a basic knowledge of magic, Bee found her way around the library a bit better now. Looking at the books she had grabbed last night, she realized that most would be useless right now. She wasn't even close to ready for them yet.

Returning to the shelves, Bee had a better idea of what she was looking for. In the "recipe" section, she eventually settled on two books: one for healing and another for anti-demon magic. Skimming through them, two recipes appeared promising. The first was a salve for broken bones that, when applied, could heal one in a few days rather than weeks.

The second book yielded her a commonly used projectile powder that could ward off demons. It likely wouldn't do anything against Void, seeing as the other mages had more powerful countermeasures than this. But she didn't want to be empty-handed. It made her feel better.

Once Bee's preparations were complete, she began to shift the bookcase blocking the exit. Ready to slam the door at the first sign of Void, she cracked it open and put her eye up to the slit. The room was empty. The remains of the ash imp were missing, and so was her burnt stick.

Void had surely consumed them. Even the dust on the floor was gone.

Opening the door up a bit more, Bee slipped through. She carefully closed the door behind her so it would hopefully be a safe place to retreat to. Grabbing the hatstand to serve as a walking staff, she made her way out of the open door leading to the hallways.

She had two destinations in mind. She needed to get to the lesser storeroom and retrieve ingredients for the salve and powder. She also needed to restock her rations. Those would likely be in the kitchen. If she was successful, she would be healed in a few more days and would be able to run away. Even with that, it would be a long way to the nearest village. Ordinarily, she could make it with some difficulty if she foraged along the way. But if she hadn't had a full meal in a week and was severely dehydrated… She doubted her ability to survive the trip.

Food and medicine. First, Bee needed the medicine. Without that, she would need to get food again and be in this same situation in a week. If she could get the supplies and make the healing concoction, she might be able to grab food on the way out. Hopefully, she could get both, but best to prioritize the healing supplies.

The only issue was that the kitchen was on the opposite side of the castle.

Bee set off. Trying not to thump the hatstand too loudly, she hobbled down the main corridor. The first leg of her journey was uneventful. When she reached the door, she grasped the handle for support, panting with exertion. The door swung open silently. A treasure trove lay in front of her. Lit like the rest of the castle, the imp-powered lights made it so there were no shadowed corners. The room was a narrow thing, but it was long. Along each wall stood barrels, each clearly labeled in chalk with a large scoop in a rack attached to the side. There was just enough room for a thin walkway between them. That path stretched out for at least twenty barrels. By the entrance sat a stack of variously sized leather bags to help carry her spoils.

She grabbed a few bags and began inspecting the labels. These specific recipes were chosen because of her limitations; all the "good stuff" was not stored in the lesser storage room. That was because it was too valuable. No, the commonly needed cheap stuff was all she would find here. Limited to those ingredients and her lack of experience, she couldn't make the "best" versions of any given potion or powder.

With much more skill and unlimited access to the castle resources, she might have been able to heal her leg in a few minutes. But that was not to be. With her lack of experience, maybe it was for the best that she wouldn't be wasting anything too expensive.

As she worked, Bee checked over her shoulder occasionally for threats. She worked quickly and quietly. In total, fifteen smaller bags were placed into one of the largest ones before she slung it over her shoulder. That went really well. However, the weight was more than she had expected. It was hard to carry this and use the hatstand cane at the same time. Changing her plans slightly, she headed back to the library. Once she had healed a little from the salve, the kitchen trip would be more manageable. Also, she might be able to carry more food and water on the same trip.

Slipping back into the library, she closed the door behind her. After replacing the barricade, she retrieved her books and got to trying her hand at alchemy.

Harold was exhausted. It was the sixth day since the mages had fled the castle. Normally, they would have taken several days on horses to reach the small village of Greg. But they had pushed themselves hard. Despite not being in great shape, the safety of Greg's walls was an excellent motivator for them.

With the walls in sight, Harold called a halt to give everyone a chance to compose themselves. One of the archivists started grumbling about stopping. He was the only one. They had given him a wide berth initially but had relented as the days passed. Everyone else had started smelling just as bad as him. Harold didn't really blame him. He could only imagine the chafing that must have resulted from running for six days in soiled pants.

After they all caught their breath, they filed down to the city's gate. With a larger-than-average force approaching, the captain of the guard had already been sent for. He was waiting for them as they arrived. It was lucky Harold knew the man and they were let in quickly.

"Go on ahead. I will find you after I have had a chat with the captain," Harold called to the other mages.

"Captain Wallace, do you have a place where we could speak privately?"

"Yeah, my office." Wallace led them into a room right on the side of the gatehouse. He gestured to one of the chairs before looking Harold up and down. "You, sir, need a drink. What's your poison?"

"Whiskey neat, but anything will do after the week I have had."

Wallace retrieved a bottle of amber liquid from beneath his desk and began to pour a couple of drinks. "I take it the project didn't go well. What preparations do we need?"

"It might have gone too well. We were rushed. The king had no patience. We reached beyond what was safe, and something answered." Harold took a sip of the whiskey Wallace handed him. "We were not able to even slow it down. We ran. It was something that… Well, I can't tell you what. It devoured everything in its path, and all our barriers were nothing to it."

Wallace winced as he sat down. "Did it follow you?"

"I don't think so."

"What is your plan?"

"I need to continue on to the capital, convince the mages and inform the king. We will need to gather our strength."

"That will be…difficult." Wallace frowned. "The levies are hitting us hard, and the troops are preparing to defend the border. The preparations have been advanced since you last got news."

"Even so. We might need to get Odinguard to help us too."

"It's that bad?"

Harold took a long sip of his drink and took a while to swallow. "I hope we can survive what is coming. But we need more information. I hate to ask, but we need to send a small team back to gather some information."

"I have an idea for some people."

CHAPTER 10

THOSE WHO STARE INTO THE VOID

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Bee whispered to herself. How could she forget something so obvious?

Sure, she had a bunch of powders and magical substances in bags brimming with possibilities. If mixed together, they could heal her leg. Maybe even help fend off demons. However, she forgot the most essential part of making that possible. The part that actually made this random assortment of things magical. How could she know how much to mix?

Alchemy required precise proportions, both in volume and weight. Nothing in this library had nearly tight enough tolerances to measure what she needed.

She sighed. Still, the trip hadn't been a complete bust. The basic demon repellent, at least, was a very forgiving recipe. It was one part standard salt and two parts powdered horse hairs. It would still be effective with 10 percent inaccuracy in either direction or so, one book said.

Lining up a mostly even pile of powdered horse hairs, Bee then laid down a line of salt similar in width to the length of the horse-hair line. She swept them into a bag and shook them up. It said to mix thoroughly, but Bee thought it still looked like ordinary powder. She hoped it worked. At least now Bee would have some protection. Because now she would be venturing out again. Bee needed a scale, test tubes, and water at a minimum to make this work. That meant she needed to get into one of the research rooms and the kitchen. She might as well grab food while she was already there.

With a little more confidence, Bee headed out again. It was perhaps false confidence, as the previous trip had gone without a hitch. Still, when she opened the door to leave the library, her heart wasn't racing half as fast. Just like last time, the office room was clear. Tiptoeing out, she stuck her head out of the door. Looking in both directions, Bee saw no movement in the hallways either. As Bee moved down the hall to the research rooms, she relaxed even more. The place was quiet.

It didn't take Bee long to hobble down to the door she was looking for. In the lesser research room, she knew there would be supplies for what she needed to do. It was one of the rooms she was allowed to clean. They called it a research room, but it was more for resource harvesting. The room housed the lowest demons that produced valuable materials. The more experienced apprentices would gather all the valuable stuff, then Bee was let in to clean everything so that the new materials deposited would be fresh. As she was working, she had to be careful of the symbols and circles surrounding the cages. Now Bee knew why. Well, she always could guess. What they told her was, "only touch the chalk if you want to die." Or, "if you value your life, don't disturb the salt." So she figured, Okay, the powders are magical, and I won't mess with them. I can scrub the floors, but don't mess with the magic. Sure, that was simple.

Apparently, that wasn't quite the issue. Many of these patterns Bee recognized from her reading. They were dampening fields that took a while to take effect and weakened the magic within. If she had disturbed the protections, it would have taken a couple of days for these beasts to slowly wake up. Once awake, they could have started to use their magic to get out of the cages.

So when Bee saw the door to the room was left open, she started to get concerned. By the time she stepped in, she really panicked. The first thing she noticed was that the floor was more visible than she was used to. It took a second for it to set in, but when it did, Bee's heart rate exceeded all previous records. Looking around in alarm, she scanned the cages. They were, for the most part, empty. She took a few quick breaths, trying to calm herself.

Struggling to slow her breathing, Bee continued on high alert but realized she needed to move quickly. Examining the cages as she moved into the room, she gave the still-occupied ones a wide berth. A few cages were empty. From her previous experience with this room, every one of them should have been full. She quickly moved to some counters with cabinets on the far side. Rummaging around, she found what she was looking for. Grabbing a scale and some measuring equipment, she stuffed them into the bag she had brought with her. While realizing the need for speed, she also realized she might need to do some more research on what she was up against. Quickly she took a few seconds to read the nameplates on the cages without occupants. She hoped to be able to find information on them in the library. It would give her a better idea of what danger she was in.

Now aware that there were more things to be careful about than just Void, Bee scurried away as fast as her hatstand cane would allow her. She still needed to grab the supplies and water if she wanted to have any chance of getting out of there. But it seemed less likely that she would be able to escape without being discovered. Abandoning stealth, Bee moved as fast as she could toward the kitchen. While in transit, she kept a sharp eye and ear out but didn't notice anything amiss. Seeing that she knew nothing about these creatures, she wasn't sure what to look for. Anything strange or out of place would have caught her eye.

Against all odds, she still managed to make it all the way to the kitchen without incident. When she got to the kitchen, it looked much different from what she remembered. It was strangely spotless like it had been cleaned recently. There also was surprisingly little odor for a room filled with food sitting out for a week. It was unlikely that it had been cleaned after breakfast when everyone fled, and the half-cleaned plates of food on the counter confirmed her suspicions.

Despite the changes in the kitchen, the pantry still had some food in it. Bee stuffed whatever looked least tainted by pests into her bag. Her now-empty wineskin was filled with water from one of the basins. She took a quick look to see if she could find another water container. It would be nice to take more water with her, but she had no luck. On her way out, Bee reached over and grabbed a meat cleaver hanging on a hook above the counter. She hoped that she would not need it. Even though it made Bee feel better, she wasn't even sure how effective it would be against demons. But it would be a better weapon than her late broomstick. Having accomplished her goals, she began to awkwardly limp as fast as she could back to the safety of the library.

As I explored, I found that the previously closed doors tended to lead to rooms that didn't need the same amount of cleaning as the more extreme cases. That's not to say they didn't need some attention. After all, they definitely hadn't been cleaned in at least a week. But still, as I explored and categorized rooms, I found that some fell into the schedule of once a week. Whereas others, like those that had cages, would continually produce more filth than just dust and were slated to be cleaned more often.

Truly, I had no idea how large this place was. It seemed like every time I would find a new door to open, it would lead to entirely other wings of the castle. And that wasn't even counting all the staircases I couldn't traverse. I really needed to see if I could find that nice human; I was sure they'd be willing to help me out. Having finished my exploration for today, I went to clean the rooms that needed daily attention.

There were many things I appreciated about exploring. I enjoyed finding new ways I could help. And each room was a new challenge. With all the new stimuli, I could feel myself becoming more efficient. I felt faster, stronger, and most of all, I became better at planning and executing my duties quickly. That was all nice. But truthfully, my favorite part was a bit more self-indulgent. The designers of this castle really had an eye for beauty. The workmanship was exquisite, and the execution was perfect. Each set of rooms unveiled another masterpiece. Every joint on the floor was set with care, and every color was intentionally chosen. The floors matched the purpose of each room in durability, color, traction, and every other quality I could think of.

There were also things I normally hadn't been aware of. Now that my domain extended slightly in the vertical plane, I started paying attention to more things. For example, who would have thought baseboards would be such an essential piece to the aesthetic of a room. Choosing the correct edging for a floor seemed to be maybe 20 percent of the impact the floor had. And sometimes, there were even fancy styles of trim. They would extend several feet up and make the walls almost as fascinating to look at as the floor, I might say. Well, maybe not quite so fascinating. But it was close.

Another consequence of my upward attention was that I started to take a little more notice of furniture. I had always noticed furniture. Of course, how could you not? But now I considered more than just the footprint or its impact on my cleaning route. When considering the different types of chairs, you might have an armchair that takes up the entire square it sits on. Or you might have one with four posts and a base high enough to allow me to clean underneath without much trouble. Either one is fine. One is within my abilities to take care of, whereas the other allows filth to build up underneath it, though it is hidden and requires a human to help whisk it away. Now, however, I was looking at the color and the design. I noticed things like how I liked the seat fabric's color and pattern. Really, there were so many things I had missed previously that I wished I had started looking up at earlier.

One day I would love to meet whoever designed these masterpieces. I would like to thank them for opening my sensory array beyond the floor. My great joy did come from doing my job and serving my humans, but it wasn't my only pleasure. While I lived to establish order and cleanliness, I could appreciate the small things too.

There were, of course, a few design choices I disagreed with or maybe just questioned. For example, well, I really like the use of accent rugs. But in some cases, I felt like whoever designed this place didn't know how to lay a fully carpeted room. Don't get me wrong, I really do prefer hardwood over carpet. It's much more functional and easier to maintain, but a good carpeted room has its perks too. I know my humans were sensitive to hot or cold, and stepping on a carpet in the morning seemed like something that gave them such joy. It was a shame that none of the bedrooms here had carpet.

I had started to become efficient enough that I was able to have these thoughts while I worked. In order to execute my plan, I no longer required 95 percent of my concentration. I could get away with only giving it 70 to 80 percent and using my remaining concentration to plan ahead, increasing my efficiency. That was why I finished my exploration a little bit early and had a chance to return to the kitchen. I wanted to see if there was anything else I could do to help the situation there. Despite my best efforts, it wasn't up to my standards. A nasty smell of rotten food lingered. No matter how much air I pumped through my dust filter, I couldn't quite get rid of it.

Coming back from one of the far wings, I made my way toward the kitchen. Even though I had captured that one mess maker, the place still seemed to attract more filth. I was starting to think that the mess maker I apprehended wasn't the only one. In fact, many rooms that had no reason to be accumulating more filth were doing so anyway. And maybe I was being paranoid, but sometimes I would see flashes in the edge of my sensor range. It was as though something was moving fast there, perhaps something small and furry.

I wasn't too concerned. Maybe these humans kept a cat. Cats didn't really like me. But that was okay; I wasn't their biggest fan, either.

All thoughts of cats and proper floor choices left my head as I saw the one human who seemed to have remained in the castle with me. It was not too dissimilar to a situation I had seen previously. Again, it looked like she was in a sticky situation with a mess maker. This time she didn't seem to be aware of it, though. She moved awkwardly from the kitchen, leaning on a large pole toward the room where we first met. However, she was being tailed by a small, squat furry thing. It looked like one of my small humans but shorter, with longer arms covered in black fur and long fangs. It crept quietly behind her. She kept looking around, but it was quick enough to stay in her blind spot whenever she did.

Eager to come to assist my human friend, I beeped loudly, trying to get her attention. Her head whipped around, and her eyes landed on me. In a stroke of bad luck, her gaze went right over the mess maker. I beeped again, insistently hoping that she would pick up on the hint, but instead, she turned as white as a linoleum floor. It wasn't until the mess maker screamed that she even thought to look down.

CHAPTER 11

WHAT LOOKS BACK

Scanning her surroundings constantly, Bee's heart raced to match her mood. She was sure that she saw something in the corner of her vision, but whenever she looked, there was nothing to confirm her suspicions. It was likely just her nerves reminding her just how long she had been roaming around in what might now have been a demon-infested castle. Still, there were only a couple of hallways left. She was most of the way to the library, but she didn't for one second believe she was safe.

Her pulse was so loud in her ears that she could barely hear herself breathe, let alone think. Sweat covered her body, it dripped down her nose, and she had trouble gripping the hatstand well enough to support her weight. She started to put more weight on her leg, pushing through the pain as the adrenaline numbed her feelings. She could go almost twice as fast as she had when she initially made her way toward the kitchen. Plus, she could take a few risks with her leg now. She would be able to fix it as soon as she got back.

When the library was just around the corner, Bee poured her remaining energy into increasing her pace. It was a struggle to carry her bag of loot, but she could practically smell the old parchment and musty leather covers she had come to associate with safety. Hope rose in her chest, the belief she had made it through this whole expedition without something going wrong.

There was an unearthly screech behind her. It wasn't the loudest thing, but it was sharp, unlike anything she had heard before. A sound that alien could only really have been coming from one source. She hadn't been fast enough; it had found her.

Whirling around, her eyes locked on the floor behind her. It sat in the junction she had just come from. It seemed darker and more intimidating than before. There was an even larger area surrounding it from which debris rose and spun toward its whirling maw. Yet, for all its might, Void just sat there staring at her.

It screeched again. The sound snapped her out of the trance of fear it put her in, and she finally could break her gaze away. She looked around desperately for something that might help her, and that was when she saw the real threat. At her feet, almost on top of her, sat a minor demon. It looked like an ape but with fangs larger than her thumb. It only came up to maybe two-and-a-half to three feet tall, but its muscle-bound arms looked stronger than most men's. The beast's gaze was fixed on her, and she could see an all-too-human intelligence marred by malevolence as it stared. The Void had called in one of his minions to hunt her. The screech wasn't a battle cry. It was a summons.

With desperation, Bee released the hatstand and reached for the cleaver she had slid into her belt. She managed to draw it, but too slowly. The lesser demon pounced right at her, teeth bared. It recognized the danger of the cleaver and grabbed for her arm. She had been walking around prepared, though. Her other hand was already in the pouch of the mixed demon repellent she had made only hours before. Bee let out a cry of defiance as she flung a handful of the powder in the ape's face. It coated its eyes, mouth, and chest. Instantly she could hear a faint sizzling, and the beast let out a pained scream. This scream wasn't like Void's. This sounded more like the scream of a horse that broke its leg. As she watched, frantically readying another handful, she could see the flesh receding from where the powder had struck the demon.

Wow, that certainly looked painful. Maybe if Bee had more time or managed to throw a few more handfuls, the powder could drive the demon away. But this was only a lesser demon, and the demon repellent wasn't enough to change her immediate situation. She reached for another handful of powder; the demon glared at her with fresh rage. It had finished ripping away the knife, and as it clattered to the floor, the demon lunged for her other hand. Bee struggled as its claws grasped her wrist. The demon's rush overbalanced her. There was nothing she could do; she fell backward, landing heavily on her tailbone, and then was pulled the rest of the way over, head bouncing off the stone floors. Stars swam in her vision as she looked up at the ceiling and felt the pouch fly away. The demon sat on her hand, stretched her arm out, and prepared to bite into her bicep. Bee thrashed around to no avail. Her strength could not match the demon's even a little bit. It didn't even notice her blows against its head. Her other hand scrambled for the dropped cleaver. She stretched, but she couldn't quite reach it. Bee looked over at the demon. She saw that its teeth were hovering just above her flesh, and it was watching her. It seemed to be mocking her attempts to struggle. They locked eyes for a second, and she knew there was nothing she could do.

As she was bracing herself for the pain, Bee heard something. Another otherworldly screech, this time long and drawn out. It seemed to increase in pitch and volume. She tried to look down, back at where Void was, but couldn't crane her neck enough to see. It was too low to the ground. The sound also caught the attention of the minor demon, and it looked up back at its master. She saw the fear flash through the ape's eyes. Bee thought she saw surprise and betrayal in its look, and then it was gone. She felt the ape's weight lift from her arm as it was launched behind her. Replacing it was a much smaller pressure. After a brief moment, even that was gone.

She saw the black disk pass over her arm, pursuing the ape. Before slamming into the floor, never stopping, Void charged forward, right to where the demon had fallen. As the ape demon was run over, the sound of whooshing air filled the hall. The ape was dragged back into the void.

Bee struggled to roll over so she could see above her. When she made it to her side, she saw that Void had halted just five feet away, and there was no sign of the minor demon. It didn't make a sound this time. It just sat there. As it had no eyes, she couldn't see where it was staring, but she felt its gaze on her. It was watching her consideringly, as if waiting for something.

I watched the small human. For some reason, she just lay there, motionless, on the floor. The floor didn't look very comfortable. See, my wheels are firm, so they're comfortable on a hard floor. Human bodies, on the other hand, are soft. She should have been lying on something else soft—a carpet, a bed, a couch, or something comfortable. The floor would not mold to her or become any more comfortable. Seeing this made me unhappy; she must have been distraught over the aggressive mess maker. I wondered if there was something I could do to cheer her up.

I had never tried to comfort humans before. But I had some memories of the large humans comforting the small ones by patting their heads…and pats always made me happy as well. I repositioned myself, facing the human as she lay on her side. As I did, I was careful not to roll over her hair. I've felt human hairs get stuck in my wheels and brushes, and it's never fun to untangle. I couldn't imagine that it would be any better on her end. Once I was in position, I extended my arm slowly and patted her on the head twice. Then I beeped comfortingly. If that couldn't cheer her up, I didn't know what would. The small human stayed still. For some reason, her chest stopped moving. I couldn't figure out why she would want to hold her breath.

After a few moments, I wasn't sure if the head pats had cheered her up. I had one more trick to try. Slowly rolling closer, I bumped gently into her chest a few times before backing up a few feet. Humans always seemed to smile when I bumped into them. Then I waited.

To my relief, the human started to move. Slowly, but at least it was a start. She rolled over from her side onto her knees, wincing as she did so. Slowly she began to bend at the waist. Her hands by the sides of her head, she pressed her forehead to the floor. What was she doing? Humans didn't clean the floor like this. That was my job.

Bee froze, trembling uncontrollably. It appeared to have changed its mind about letting its minion eat her, as it had saved her at the last minute. Merciless as it was, it had consumed its own minion right before her eyes. Recovering from the shock as she stared at it, she tried to figure out what it wanted.

It shrieked again. That awful noise was still terrifying but didn't hold the same aggression as it did previously. A hatch opened on the right side of its front. A metal stick with a claw extended. Dramatically, it reached out to her. She held absolutely still and braced for the pain, until she felt it tap her on the head twice. What could that mean? What did it want?

As if frustrated that she didn't understand, it began to move. Void glided around Bee's head and came to rest in front of her face. It allowed Bee to stop craning her neck to keep him in her field of view, and they just stared at each other for a second. She held her breath, waiting for it to lash out or change its mind. While it was still pondering, Bee remembered the new perk. Trying to Scan it without giving any indication of what she was doing, Bee glanced at the information in front of her.

Name: Spot, Race: Mechanical Pet, ???

Bee's skill was very low, and she didn't have much to see besides type classification and name. If she leveled more, she assumed that she would be able to see levels. Eventually, Bee might see stats, skills, perks, mutations, and other things. If she got to a high-enough level, it was rumored that she could see things that even the target couldn't see on their own status sheet.

The one thing Bee had never heard of, though, even in myth and legend, was a being that could alter its own status sheet. Sure, it was possible to hide the info contained within. But changing it to mislead others into thinking they knew more than they did? She supposed this wouldn't be impossible, but the being would have to be beyond godlike. To interfere with the system itself was a level of power that this world had never seen. Even myths about the origins of the world, with all of their gods and terrifying horrors, never hinted at something like that. The system was always an overarching power that encompassed all. But it was the only explanation.

There was no way that this status sheet was real. Because Bee refused to believe, no matter the alternative, that Void's real and recognized name was Spot. This all-consuming archdemon god was not called something as silly as "Spot." And if it was a pet, then they were all dog food.

No, this monster must still be playing with her, Bee thought. What kind of sick and twisted humor did it take to masquerade as a friendly artificial dog when its image could in no way be construed as friendly? Maybe it was just laughing at her terror. It had saved Bee, after all. Maybe it was trying to say she didn't need to be nearly as afraid as she was. That seemed unlikely, though what possibilities were more likely, escaped her at this point. She still couldn't figure out what it wanted.

As if Void could read the question in her eyes, it rolled forward and bumped into Bee's chest. This was a clear indication in her mind. It wanted her. She didn't know why it was asking. Bee knew it could have consumed her with as little effort as it had consumed that minor demon. Probably with much less difficulty. Questions rolled around in Bee's mind. Maybe it needed her permission? Maybe it wanted more than her flesh?

With resignation Bee made a decision. If it would prevent her from being consumed by Void, she would do almost anything. Fear and resolve combined and pointed her to a solution. Struggling, Bee got to her knees. Bowing before it, she pressed her forehead to the floor. Her injured leg was screaming at her, but she pushed through it.

Bee meant to give a speech, swearing to follow it and do anything it asked. But as she started, she could feel her control break. No longer could she hold it back. Tears welled in her eyes and burned down her cheeks. She began to blubber, barely able to get her words out. They came out in a jumble of sobs, tears, and odd phrases that made no sense to her at the time but stumbled out of her mouth anyway. She could only hope Void would get the gist. Maybe it would read her mind or know her intentions. If this was some pact, she was sure it would have a way to understand when it was fulfilled rather than just with words.

"Please," she sobbed. "I'll do anything." Another series of sobs. "My soul!" she finished with a wail.

Bee took a deep breath trying to gather herself, but it wasn't enough.

"Take it—it's all yours. Anything. Anything, take it. What do you want? Please. Tell me the oath. Please."

Not even able to keep herself on her knees, she collapsed to one side. The words never stopped coming out of her mouth.

"Anything. You want my soul. Just don't eat me. I can't? Too long. Left me. My soul…" Bee cried into the floor helplessly.

She started saying many words and many things that made no sense. It came out in a blubbering rush, full of tears, sobs, and things I couldn't really understand. There was something about souls and undying loyalty, fealty, and saving her life, but it was all jumbled, and I was sure she might have just been in shock.

Well, my first attempt at comforting her went so well that she managed to move again. I figured I could try again, this time in front of her. I extended my arm and tapped her on one shoulder, and after, I retracted the arm. I sat still for a second; her head rose, and she looked at me. Tears had made tracks down her reddened face and cheeks. But it looked like they were slowing as she looked at me. Tears stopped welling from her eyes; instead, they just clung to the tip of her nose and the bottom of her chin. I congratulated myself on another skill learned: how to be a comforting presence.

Still moving slowly, she reached for her long stick. Once she got ahold of that, she used it to push herself to her feet, or rather foot. The other looked a little larger than it should, and she didn't let it touch the ground. She stood there very still, just looking at me. I couldn't figure out why. Maybe she was waiting for me? I started to slowly roll away. Sure enough, she began to follow.

This was a situation I really wasn't prepared for. I would usually follow the human, or the human would carry me to the spot that needed my attention. But it almost looked like the human was waiting for me to do something first. This place was so backward. Well, she looked like she could use some repairs. I wasn't really sure where to go with that. I didn't know how to fix her. So she was on her own there. Of course, I would try to help, but I wasn't sure what I could do. Beeping softly at her, I began to trundle toward the door she first ran through when we first met. It was the best option I could think of. Since I hadn't seen her in several days, I figured that would be where her bed was. Maybe she just needed to recharge.

CHAPTER 12

ON THE MORTALITY OF DIRT

I slowly made my way to the office where the human and I had first met. The human still followed me but was barely able to move faster than a crawl. She was about as fast as I had been when I began training here. As I rolled forward, I kept my eye on her to ensure she didn't fall too far behind. She hobbled along with the help of her makeshift cane, carrying the bag she had dropped earlier. It looked awkward, but I didn't think there was anything I could do to help. When we got to the office, the door was still open and the floors were clean. Passing through to the inner door, I saw that my human was burdened and likely would have a difficult time opening it herself. I extended my arm and opened it for her, my chassis swelling with pride at how helpful the new attachment allowed me to be.

Reading human faces was not my strong suit, but even I could see she was confused. I guess that made sense. My kind can't normally open doors, and she had probably thought she would have to open it for me. I chose to just take that as a sign of my impressive capabilities growing further.

We moved into the room. There was a huge mess by the door. It looked like one of the storage units had fallen over and scattered objects all over the floor. In fact, this room was quite different from the rest of them. The whole thing was lined with storage units, and many of the same square-like objects were placed upon them. They all appeared to have squiggles and symbols on them, similar to those that sometimes appeared in my vision. Idly, I wondered about that.

As we moved in, she hesitated. I rolled off to the side, waiting for her to lead the way, but she just sat there. After waiting, I began to explore the room. Finally, taking a step forward, she moved to a bench and stood by it. I beeped at her before continuing to scan.

Several more of these rectangular objects were scattered about it. Some were split in half, lying with their paper insides exposed. I thought this room was rather odd. It was clearly made to store many things. However, the use of space was not efficient. All the storage area was only on the walls, leaving the floor open. While I enjoyed having an open floor plan, I didn't think this was the best layout. Instead of more storage, which would align with the theme of the room, there were tables. A dozen or so empty tables with chairs.

I'm actually a rather large fan of tables. They are always easy to navigate around because the legs are long enough for me to get under them easily. Also, their bases are widely spaced enough that it's not hard to fit. Why the humans needed so many here, though, was beyond me. At least the tables matched the floors. The floors were the same beautiful hardwood that I had seen elsewhere around here. The tables were made out of a complementary color, a bit lighter in shade but still excellently crafted. On the ends of the chairs and table legs were soft pads so the chairs and tables could glide over the hardwood without damaging it. I appreciated the care that had gone into maintaining this room.

The human started flipping through what appeared to be stacked sheets of paper in one of the blocks. I didn't quite understand the purpose, but trusted that the human knew what she was doing. Perhaps the paper would make her less sad?

As I got to work, I checked in on the human occasionally to see what she was doing. She had sat down at one of the tables and removed an assortment of glass items from her bag, many of which I didn't recognize. The items all looked freshly cleaned, or at least pristine enough that my previous humans would have put them back in the cabinets for storage. She also began to place some smaller bags on the table. These appeared to contain dirt, dust, and other kinds of powder. As I watched, she carefully scooped the debris from the bags into the clean containers, dirtying them and creating some mixture of various kinds of dust.

I had seen behavior like this before. Taking items that had previously been well-organized and stored, creating chaos out of them, then placing that chaos into previously clean containers. All the while dirtying a series of implements and tools. It reminded me of the strange ritual called "cooking" back home. It had never quite made sense to me. Even if humans consumed these mixtures for energy, why not simply consume each component in its native form? It would save time and energy, as well as make for less mess.

Perhaps it was a way for my humans to generate more cleaning for themselves, to keep themselves busy and interested in the work. That might explain why some of the more challenging stains and messes could always be found in the kitchen. Satisfied with my explanation, I continued. Though I redoubled my determination to set a good example and teach her the proper ways of keeping a clean house.

It was a long trip back to the library. Not because it was a far distance, but because it seemed to Bee that it stretched forever. She moved as fast as she could, trying to keep up with Void, but it was difficult. When they reached the door, Void took the same arm it had used to touch her before and opened it without an issue.

She was shocked. Standing in the doorway for a second, Bee considered the implications. It could have gotten to her anytime it wanted, without even destroying the door. It had been a faint hope that maybe the only thing keeping it from her was that it didn't want to damage its new property, as it didn't seem to be destructive. But seeing that it could have just opened the door and followed her… Well, Bee doubted the bookcase barricade would have stopped it. But she had been paying attention and hadn't even heard it try. It must have left her alone as it had with the broom closet, for some reason.

Taking this as proof that her soul was what the demon wanted, Bee was convinced that she had finally understood the demon's motivations. It seemed to be waiting for something, so she moved to her table with her books and bags of powder from her last trip. Setting her bag down, Bee unpacked the alchemy equipment and supplies she gathered. Taking a quick glance at Void, she noticed it was no longer watching her and was instead pacing around the room. She took advantage of this to quickly stuff some food in her mouth and wash it down with the water-filled wineskin while its back was turned. Knowing that it was a glutton that seemed to consume everything, she didn't want to make it think that she was stealing from it.

Once her thirst and hunger had been satiated, she took out the tools she had gathered. She laid them out according to the book before searching through the remaining bags of ingredients. Rather than worry about making a mistake, she left the book open to the recipe and closely followed step by step. Measuring each component, she carefully added them to the proper vials and combined them using the techniques described. This went on for quite a while, and despite everything, Bee found that she actually enjoyed the work a bit. It was infinitely more satisfying than cleaning had been and had the potential to be incredibly useful. It also let her mind focus on something besides her current situation.

The fact that Bee had just given away her soul was something she really did not want to consider. There truly was no escape for her now. She didn't feel any different physically, but she was sure that this was just a ruse. Maybe to lull her into a false sense of security. She might heal her leg and gather all the supplies in the castle. Maybe she'd even make it out the front door. However, no matter how far she ran, she'd never be free; even death wouldn't free her now.

Implications of this decision ranged widely; as she didn't know what to expect, she had to assume the worst. In good conscience, she could never see her family again. That wasn't as big a blow to her as it might be to others. After the way her father had sent her off, she didn't want to talk to him anyway. She suspected this arrangement between him and the mage's college wouldn't have happened if her mother was still alive.

She wondered what kind of foothold having a soul in this realm gave the demon. Void was indisputably powerful, and she didn't understand what it got out of the bargain. But horrible monsters always wanted souls; at least, that was what the stories said. How was she going to make her new life? What had she bought with the price of her soul? A life of servitude of pain and suffering, surely. Even though she knew Void was a powerful demon summoned only a week ago, she still didn't understand it much past that. Sneaking a glimpse at Void, it was still pacing back and forth, methodically working its way across the library floor. Currently, it wasn't harming anything. It wasn't torturing anyone. It was even giving her time to heal herself with magic. Maybe if she was lucky, things might not be as bad as she had first feared. Or it wanted her in top shape for whatever nefarious tasks it had planned. She cut that thought off before it went any further. All that mattered was that she was alive. But she had to claim any hope she could.

Her healing salve was almost complete. All Bee had to do was add the water and apply. With a deep breath, she lifted her leg on the table and unwrapped it, leaving it propped up so she could spread the salve to it as soon as it was ready. The book heavily emphasized that the sooner it was applied after it was finished, the more effective it was. Even though it seemed like time was no longer of the essence, she really would rather be able to walk again. Especially if more demons were about. Pouring in the water, she dipped in her glass stirring rod and gently stirred until the mixture was even. Then she scooped out a bit of green goopy stuff that smelled like freshly cut grass and smeared it all over her leg. Bee repeated until the jar was empty. Taking stock of the ingredients left, she still had a good portion, maybe enough for two more doses. If she had done it right, she would be completely healed in a couple days. She might be able to walk without assistance in one. So hopefully, she wouldn't need to gather more materials.

Having finished, Bee stood up with the help of her cane and looked over to her new master, ready for orders.

"Instruct me, Master," she said with a bow.

Eventually, the human finished her task, which apparently included smearing her leg with a difficult-to-clean-looking sludge. Man, humans were weird sometimes. I was about done cleaning the floor at this point, so now I watched her in fascination. It had been at least a week, more like two since this had been cleaned. So she must not have been able to take care of it while she was in need of repairs. Luckily, it seemed no food or anything of that nature ever spilled here, so it was all just dust and the occasional insect corpse or something along those lines.

When the human finished, she stood up and bowed to me for some reason. She then asked for instructions. This left me in a bit of a quandary. Who was I to instruct the humans?

I generally served humans. I tried to clean up after their messes and keep their house a homey, comfortable, and sanitary environment. What sort of instruction should I have given her? It was their job to instruct me, actually. They told me what to prioritize and which rooms to clean. Only recently had I been making decisions for myself. Perhaps they were sending their young to learn from me, but what did I even have to teach them?

Or perhaps this one had not had a good example of how important a clean house was. Maybe she needed to learn what it meant to maintain a good atmosphere. Very well, I guessed I'd have to show her how it's done. I could show her all the proper floor cleaning methods and even how to optimize her path. Maybe while I'm at it, I could also help her appreciate a good floor design. It would be nice to talk to some people about art. I beeped at her twice, hoping that she would understand the message and follow me.

As I exited the library, I heard her shuffling footsteps behind me, so I assumed she understood the message. I went down the hallway to start my routine for the day. I had already begun it earlier but hadn't finished. I had enough time to make it through the whole process, though, if I started this late, I wouldn't get the chance to do some more exploring. However, I figured showing her the ropes was probably more important than finding a few more rooms today.

The only disappointment was that this human still seemed to be in need of repairs. So until those repairs were carried out, it was unlikely that this human could help me get up or down the stairs, as she didn't seem capable of doing it herself. That was unfortunate because I could still feel the fuzzy mess maker inside of me, and I hadn't found a good place to release it yet. That, and I wasn't sure what would happen to it next time I emptied my dustbin to gain energy. Until we went outside, I was unwilling to release the mess maker. It just wasn't worth the risk. Eventually, I will have to try to transmute all the mess I had collected into energy. Hopefully, I could avoid transmuting the mess maker as well. But it was a risk I'd have to take if we couldn't get outside soon.

What was amazing was, I still had half a charge. Normally, with all the work I'd done, I would have been well past empty. Maybe my efficiency wasn't just increasing in cleaning speed but also in energy expenditure. That would have been really nice. Plus, it wasn't an issue now that I didn't have to stop working to charge, but it would be nice to not have to think about it.

Trundling down the hallway, I stopped by the first room I would routinely clean. I opened the door, rolled inside, and began to sweep back and forth, using my graceful curves and straight lines to efficiently cover as much area as possible. One nice thing about my improved efficiency, especially in planning, was that I could cover more area with fewer sweeps because of my increased suction. However, this did mean that I had to replan my route every time I cleaned a room. By the time I started the routine again, I had improved enough that my old plan was no longer near satisfactory efficiency. The human stood in the doorway. It was very kind of her not to get in the way. Though I wasn't quite sure why her mouth was open. I didn't think she could provide suction the same way I could.

This wasn't a large room, but by no means was it small. A normal one of my kind would maybe have taken thirty to forty minutes to finish cleaning. They'd spend time redoing their work and carefully edging every corner. However, I had passed beyond such needs. One single super-me was enough to purify all but the toughest stains and dirt, and if there was no goop or liquids, I wouldn't even need to use my Mop. So, all told, the room took me only a handful of minutes. I began to recognize the look on the human's face. She would have never seen one of my kind clean as efficiently as I just had. It may have been humorous, but was I not allowed to take pride in my accomplishments?

CHAPTER 13

WIPING THE FLOOR WITH YOU

Was Void…cleaning? Bee stood there in shock, watching as the all-powerful demon made graceful sweeps across the floor, covering every inch. Where it passed, every speck of dust, every bit of debris, floated off the floor in a large radius, and entered the black maw as Void consumed it. Left in its wake were only spotless pieces of hardwood floor and clean bits of trim. Along with…nothing else, actually. The only things that remained were things that should have been there, like chairs, carpet, and rugs. For some reason, it left those alone. When it was done, everything below about six inches off the ground was sparkling clean and spotless. This was bizarre. She just couldn't think of any other way to describe it. Why would this being that everything ran screaming from be acting as a simple janitor? What was it trying to tell her?

Her heart sank. It might be trying to tell her that it liked a clean environment and her job was to be, once again, a maid.

This was actually rather disappointing. Some part of Bee, as much as she feared Void, had looked forward to being the minion of some supreme magic being that crushed all in its wake. It would be a nice change in her life, something interesting. But if it just wanted her to be a maid, was that really any different from before? Sure, she might be terrified for her life all the time, but she was still cleaning. It was even more pointless if she was the only one around to use the toilets and other human conveniences. If no one was here to use the castle, why bother cleaning it? As disappointed as she was, the whole "fear of death or eternal torment" thing put it in perspective. Not wanting her soul to be consumed, she figured she'd give it a try and see what happened.

As Void finished cleaning, it made to exit the room. Bee stepped aside, allowing him to pass. Without pausing, Void beeped at her softly, encouraging her to follow. That was something else she was starting to get used to; those unearthly screams sounded only half as terrifying now. Bee figured that they might be the only ways Void could communicate, in which case she had to get used to them. For something that had such power, it was starting to become a lot less intimidating. The more time she spent around it, the more she noticed the complete absence of any threatening behavior. This was making her start to think that something was not as it seemed. Void moved down the hallway a little, skipping a few doors before opening one. It went inside, and she followed it this time rather than standing outside.

The demon paused for a couple seconds before spinning in a circle twice, then began the same procedure as it had in the previous room. It continued moving in purposeful lines that seemed to trace the floor plan and clean up everything it neared. Bee was starting to get the idea.

Wary of the consequences of not assisting, she looked for a way to help. There really wasn't much more she could do than what Void was able to (she would not call him Spot, even in her head). There was no way she could improve the cleaning of the floor beyond his suction, even with stone or wood polish. Even a broom left significantly more debris behind. However, it was clear where the demon wasn't paying attention. Anything above a couple feet off the floor was becoming dusty. An idea struck, and Bee hobbled into the room using the hatstand to steady herself. She took the sleeve of her uniform and ran it along the mantle over the fireplace. It was filthy. She moved next to Void's path. In front of Void, she shook out her sleeve to put the dust in front of its maw.

Void gobbled it up without hesitation, chirping at her again. Choosing to take that as a sign of approval, Bee continued doing so until the mantle was clean. Looking at her grimy sleeve, she thought she might need to get some tools for this, or else her clothes would get unpleasant rather quickly.

"Honored Master, may I humbly beg leave of you to get some cleaning tools?"

Maybe she was speaking way too humbly, but it was better to err on caution's side.

As Bee started making her way toward her old friend the broom closet, she began to think she might have made a mistake. The presence of Void had totally driven the thought that there were probably dozens of minor demons running around the castle from her mind. Even worse, if what she'd read was to be believed, more and more prominent monsters would emerge as time passed. As much as she wouldn't like to admit it, Void's presence was probably the only thing keeping her safe. It seemed the demons respected its strength enough to leave it alone and not even try to lay claim to things that Void might desire.

But now she was wandering about alone. Should she go back? She had already committed to retrieving these supplies. What would it think if she failed at such a simple task? Would it take her uselessness as a reason to discard her? Taking stock of her location, Bee realized she was already halfway there; the cleaning closet wasn't too far away. She might as well finish this up. Though thinking back, she'd already been saved by Void twice. Would it even bother the third time?

"Ashes, I'm an idiot," she muttered to herself as she continued to hobble along. Her pace was significantly faster than it had been even a few hours ago. The healing ointment was maybe numbing her pain, but her leg also felt more stable. She still leaned on the hatstand, but she figured she might be able to walk properly soon.

The human left me for some supplies. This was kind of her. I likely wouldn't be able to use any of them. I didn't think my arm could hold or operate a Spray Bottle. But maybe some more powerful cleaning liquids could be compatible with my Mop. I hoped she'd get back soon. It wouldn't take me much longer to finish cleaning this room, and I felt bad about leaving without letting her know, as she had asked for my assistance.

It only took another thirty seconds for me to finish the bedroom, so I went out into the hall to find her. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out which direction she had gone in. So I just started cleaning the hallway while I waited. I had already covered it yesterday, but I might as well get a head start. Back and forth I went. Still, I admired the floor; it was impossible not to. However, I was becoming used to it. Would I miss its fine detail and craftsmanship when my training concluded and I went back home? I expected I would. I had to be careful not to get too spoiled. Maybe there would be some spots in this castle I wouldn't like cleaning as much. Or perhaps I could figure out a good way to fix up floors—that might be interesting. Maybe there'd be some mutation that could expand my capabilities, and not just regarding the cleaning aspects. Maybe I could learn to do some repairs. Or was that too far outside of my mandate?

Either way, I thought about what I wanted to teach next. There were so many options. Now that I felt she had gotten the basics down in the last couple of bedrooms, we didn't need to do every single bedroom together. She was taking to it quite well. She was cleaning areas out of my reach too. I really appreciated that. It also made me realize that humans had so many options for cleaning. Teaching her the fundamentals and an appreciation for the art was definitely the way to go.

Perhaps I should show her some of my favorite rooms. I could take her to the room with the pleasant rug. The large room with the marble floors that I first appeared in. And, of course, my favorite room with the obsidian flooring. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw how beautiful that was. Maybe she could help me do something about that statue inside. I hoped to move it somewhere else. It just didn't fit in that room. I knew this wasn't my place, and I didn't have much to say about the interior decorating policy. But if they wouldn't see sense, I might have to take matters into my own hands, so to speak.

Yes, I would do it that way. We'd start with the more mundane rooms, then work our way up to my favorites.

I'm not sure how long I was cleaning the hallway. I had made decent progress, but I had fallen into my meditative cleaning state. Though unlike normal I didn't come out of it because I finished—no, the human surprised me. She came running around the corner of the hall. Well, I said “running” but it was more like a fast hobble using her cane. She did look significantly faster than she was only a few hours ago. But I still really had to look into getting her some repairs. As soon as she saw me, she looked appropriately happy. I waited to get some pats for approval since I had cleaned not only the room, but also the hallway. Unless she had wanted to help clean the hallway. Maybe she didn't know how to do that. Maybe I messed up. Should I have waited? I should have waited, shouldn't I?

Oh well, I guessed there were other hallways to show her. She couldn't have been that upset, could she?

Apparently, I was wrong and she was very upset. I received precisely zero pats and all she did was come and sit behind me on the floor. Soon I found out why. Right behind her came another one of those ape-looking mess makers. Where she had limped around the corner, this thing flew, its claws struggling to find purchase on the granite floor. It actually slammed into the wall trying to make the turn, but it didn't slow down that much. Now, this just wasn't acceptable. I could understand if she liked to play with mess makers, but this human didn't seem to be having much fun. If she didn't like the mess maker here, I would remove it for her.

Bee barely made it around the corner in time. The minor demon was right on her heels. So stupid. Why did I let my pride get in the way?

Once Bee saw Void, she actually relaxed a little. Quickly sliding behind it, she felt cowardly relying on its protection. Bee had got in position, putting Void between her and the oncoming danger. Then she saw it come around the corner. Void didn't seem concerned, didn't even do its alien screeching/screaming/chirping noise.

It simply rolled forward. Bee felt the wind tug her clothes as Void closed in on the demon. She wasn't sure if the ape-demon hadn't recognized the difference in strength or maybe was just rebellious. Either way, it charged at the small black shape, fist raised high as if to crush it. When it got close enough to feel Void's power, it looked like it was having second thoughts. It was too late, though, as it couldn't get enough traction on the slick floors to stop its momentum and suction pulled it into Void's orbit.

Bee watched as the third magical creature disappeared inside Void without any issues. She blinked as an experience notification appeared in the corner of her vision. A large chunk—not as much as she would expect for an assist against a minor demon, especially when she was level 1, but still a sizable amount. Maybe the level of who Bee was assisting offset the experience gained? Or was it how little she had done?

Either way, she was grateful for the demon's help. She paused for a second; was Void really even a demon? The system didn't think so, and Void transcended all limitations of demons that she was aware of. It did come from a demon-summoning ritual, but maybe it had hijacked that somehow? Bee didn't know enough about how possible that was.

Having finished its snack, Void turned to face her. It let out a beep in a softer tone than it typically used. Bee quickly scrambled to her feet, putting all her weight on her good foot. On the bright side, it seemed she did not need her crutch to stand. However, it still was not easy to move around without it, and she had dropped it when the demon scared her. Uncertain of what to do, Bee gave her best attempt at a curtsy to Void.

CHAPTER 14

I SUCK AT READING THE ROOM

Really, this human was giving me far too much deference. There was only so much humility I could take. I didn't even do that much. All I did was do my job. Though I figured I had gotten quite a bit better at it. Typically I only cleaned up the messes, and it was the human's prerogative to remove the causes. I guessed going above and beyond does deserve some reward. However, this was just too far. I would have been satisfied with a pat and some praise. I didn't know what to say.

We stood awkwardly for a while, staring at each other while I waited for her to straighten. I wasn't sure what I could say or do, but she did seem to be waiting for something. Therefore, I just did the only thing I could. I beeped and looked for something to clean. Except, looking around, there wasn't anything else to clean. I had just finished the hallway, but that was the only thing nearby. Nervous that the human would be getting impatient, I looked back at her and relaxed slightly. It seems that she had taken my beep and spin as acceptance of her gratitude. She had straightened and decided to speak.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to return to the library and reapply the salve to my leg. I'm pretty sure running away from that minor demon didn't help it."

So the mess maker was called a minor demon. It was nice to know the proper term, if a bit unnecessary. I supposed it would help me identify the particular mess maker she was indicating in the future. This new role wasn't too bad! I could get used to this "cleaning at the source." Though…how many kinds of mess makers were there? I knew about a few from my previous home, but it seemed like there were new varieties around here.

There were other words she used that I hadn't recognized, too. She had mentioned a "library." I wasn't exactly sure what that was. My guess from context clues was that it referred to that weird storage room we were in before, where she had been staying. Also, "salve" sounded somewhat familiar. I didn't know what it was exactly, but it seemed like that might have been the thing she was smearing on her leg earlier. So thinking it through logically, her leg was damaged, and she was putting something on it to repair it. The use of her leg made that damage worse. So she'd want to go to the place where she could put on more of the stuff that fixes it. Was that kind of like a lubricant? I knew that sometimes my humans would put something on my wheels to help them spin easier. This was probably the same thing. Yeah, this checked out. It made total sense to go back to the library.

Following that line of thought, I had an idea of the library's purpose. It must have been some sort of human mechanic shop.

Having figured out how to serve my human—well, no, not my human, but the only human nearby who seemed willing to take care of me—I began to lead the way back to the library. Making sure to keep a slow pace so the damaged human could keep up, I wondered what the human would want to do after repairs. Would she still want to learn more about cleaning? I suppose we could continue with my plan to show her all the intriguing rooms to clean, but I didn't want to risk her getting damaged further. Otherwise, it would be impossible to expand my domain upstairs or downstairs. I still didn't need her to go upstairs or downstairs with me yet, as there were many doors I hadn't finished exploring, and I probably wouldn't for several days. We were stuck if she became too permanently damaged to go up or down stairs.

As such, it made sense to focus on fixing this human before taking her anywhere else. In the meantime, I could only sympathize with her limitations. As much as I railed against stairs, I had mostly made my peace with the many things I was not capable of. However, stairs were not supposed to be an impediment for a human. I tried to think of a comparable situation for myself. What if I suddenly could not turn my left wheel anymore? I felt I had to do my best to help her overcome this issue and, failing that, help her come to terms with her limitations.

What if, when she could leave, she wanted to follow all the other humans? No, I was sure she would take me with her if she did that. She wouldn't leave me here alone.

I also had to consider my battery. It might be best to expedite a trip outside even before I finished exploring the castle. I wanted to release the fuzzy mess maker currently wiggling around in my dustbin with its non-fuzzy tail before having to recharge. I would need to do that soon.

It wasn't that long of a journey to the library. When we got there, the human again went to sit at the same table and make a salve. This time the shiny glass tools she had used before were not shiny. They actually looked like they needed to be cleaned. Well, at least that meant she wasn't adding to the mess. Maybe she'd clean them after she was done. While she was busy, I looked around for something to do. With my new reserves of energy and the amount of work to be done throughout my domain, any bit of wasted time felt like a true tragedy. However, looking around, I didn't find anything I could do. I had just finished vacuuming, so I don't think this place would benefit from another pass. There was no mopping that needed to be done either.

The only thing that looked out of place was a large pile of rectangular things that lay on the floor instead of on the storage shelves. I went over to one and took a closer look.

This block was colored an exquisite sea blue and sported graceful gold squiggles over some of its sides. It was actually a stunning piece of decoration. There seemed to be some mathematical pattern to the squiggles on the front and one of the thinner sides. It was strikingly beautiful, just like a well-laid floor plan. All the ratios were correct. I thought that perhaps if I stared at it long enough, the patterns would start to make some sense, but I left it be. I had more important priorities. I rolled over to another block, and it was totally different. This one was an ugly stained brown color with plain black squiggles that didn't complement it at all. This block was the complete opposite of the last, nowhere near a work of art. The only thing in common between the two was the shape and the pattern of the squiggles.

I scanned around the room, marveling at the sheer number of these blocks. Why were there so many pieces of art (along with what I assumed to be failed attempts at it) here? That actually raised another question. The blocks I saw around the room were all lined up such that only one of the narrow ends was facing outward. This seems like a very inefficient way to display art. What were the humans thinking? Sure, that was with a side that had some squiggles on it. However, while the designs were compelling, the most beautiful patterns were on the larger flat side. The side that was not visible from the way they were stored. I supposed you could always go and remove one if you wanted to look at the front, but why not just store it that way? Humans were so weird.

I moved on to the third one of these blocks near me. It appeared to be damaged somehow. Instead of being in a whole piece like the rest, it was split into two halves. They were barely hanging together by a few threads connecting the pieces. When I took a closer look, I realized that the inside was full of squiggles too. However, these were not really very artistic. The background was a shade of sepia or off-white, with plain black squiggles. Now, I suppose you could find some beauty in simplicity. I certainly did. There's nothing more beautiful than a well-laid floor plan with beautiful single-color marble floors. Especially when they are well-maintained with no adornments and beautifully cleaned. However, this just seemed repetitive.

Upon further inspection, it looked like this block was not broken, but designed to be opened this way. In fact, all the blocks looked like they had this one side that was meant to split in half, opposite the one with the colorful squiggles on it. The colorful side was reinforced, and all the others were not. Scanning the other blocks, I found several more that had fallen open. Trundling over to inspect them, I saw that the inside was the same as the previous, except that the patterns were slightly different. Huh.

I glanced back at the human. She was still making her small mess, constantly referencing the squiggles inside one of the blocks on her table. Might these patterns have meant something? Maybe some of them were repair manuals for humans? Or cleaning manuals? It could be like how I planned out my routes in different rooms. Whenever I planned out a new cleaning route for a room, I stored that information in a map in my memory banks. That was because if I was trying to do the same thing later, remembering it would keep me from having to make a new plan each time. Maybe these blocks were like that, somehow.

Could this help me with my current situation? If they were cleaning manuals, I could give plans like these to the human directly. They wouldn't benefit me much since I just remembered all my routes. Unless… Humans could be pretty clever sometimes. I bet they already thought of this, and these blocks contained all the best maps to clean each room in this castle. If I could learn the patterns, I wouldn't need to plan each room!

No, that couldn't be right. I updated my maps whenever I became more efficient, so how would a system like this work? Maybe that was why there were so many of them. There could be maps for each efficiency level for each room.

I didn't have time to decipher the patterns inside these blocks now. I would put it on my to-do list. Looking over at the human, I saw she had almost finished repairing herself, judging by her previous actions. That meant I didn't have much time to clean up this mountain of blocks. I wanted to make sure that her living space was orderly and clean where I was concerned. Using my claw, I went to pick one of the blocks up. It was surprisingly heavy, but not impossible to lift. Feeling the weight, I was sure it was heavier than the blanket I struggled with a couple days ago. Still, it wasn't a huge challenge. I moved the block over to the side, a little farther away from the downed storage unit, and set it down. It seemed best to set it on its flat side, so I could stack them.

I marveled for a second at its color and squiggles before returning to work. As much as I enjoyed looking at beautiful things, I didn't want to waste too much time. I quickly returned and grabbed another. This time, instead of placing it on the floor next to the other one. I put it on top. It balanced perfectly. I repeated this motion until I had fourteen blocks stacked on top of each other. When I attempted to lay the fifteenth block on top of that stack, the whole thing collapsed. My claw just wasn't long enough to manage such a stack, and one of the blocks landed on top of me with a solid thump. I tried to move and shake it off, but it stayed on top of me. I had to spin around in a circle rapidly to knock it off of myself.

Looking around, I beeped in distress. After all that hard work, I had just made a mess. I felt like I had finished a long, hard cleaning session and emptied my dustbin everywhere. Was I the mess maker now? I was so disappointed in myself for allowing this to happen. Could I even call myself a professional still?

I shook myself. No. Mistakes happened, especially when trying something new. I had to learn how my new abilities worked. Plus, no serious harm was done as long as I cleaned up after myself. Satisfied at how I had averted my existential crisis, I began stacking blocks again. Fourteen was the limit. All right, fourteen blocks would be how high I'd go. I stacked them in a row next to one of the storage units, each stack precisely fourteen items tall. Once one was finished, I moved on to the next, methodically going down the line of storage units against the wall.

When the last block was moved to a stack, the final pile was left with twelve instead of an even fourteen like the others. I spun around to find more, but couldn't see any other unstacked blocks. This was distressing, and I couldn't quite put the tip of my brush on why. Rolling a little way away to get some distance, I admired the stacks all in a neat row. With only one stack incomplete, I decided to be done. Looking around, I saw the human standing by her chair. I didn't realize the human had finished making her salve. She had even already applied it and rewrapped her leg. She was watching me with a look of pure confusion on her face.

Harold felt exhausted and ready to pass out in the nearest thing that even resembled a bed. After running for several days straight, it was just his luck to have arrived in the morning. He probably could have begged off and just gone to bed early. But no, he had duties to attend to and a crisis to avert. Time was of the essence. After getting all his mages set up and taken care of, Harold returned to Captain Wallace's office.

"Wow! You look half dead." Wallace grinned in greeting. Harold just gave him a dark look.

"Okay, okay. I'll make this quick. No drinks." Wallace stood and made his way to the door. He led the way out, down a short hallway and through a side door. Soon, they emerged into the bright sunlight of the courtyard. There were two men and a woman waiting for them.

"I trust they were volunteers?"

"Yes, they know the risks."

One of the men stepped forward.

"And we know the consequences if no one does this," he said as he stepped forward to shake Harold's hand.

CHAPTER 15

THE PURITY OF THE VOID

Bee stared at the stacks of books lining the wall. While she prepared for her next round of treatment, Void had apparently been organizing the library. Why? Just…why?

The stacks were not very high. They varied wildly in height, the tallest reaching only a couple of feet off the ground. Looking closely and counting, Bee realized each stack was exactly fourteen books tall. But why, though? This made no sense.

As she stared uncomprehendingly, Void beeped at her. It almost surprised her that the unearthly noise no longer seemed scary. Or it could have been the combined effects of sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and her system no longer being pumped full of adrenaline at every stray sound.

Bee had time to safely rest and think for the first time since this started. As she considered, the toll of the past week was catching up to her. Her eyelids struggled under their own weight as she looked at Void. Maybe it was trying to tell her something? So far, she had been fairly treated. Even though she had only been a burden, as much as she didn't want to admit it. Void had no reason to keep her around as she was. Yet despite that, she was protected and permitted to heal.

Desperately, Bee tried to grasp why. Whatever that reason was, though, one thing was certain. Either she needed to make herself useful, or she would eventually be cast aside. Being deemed worthless would be the worst outcome. No matter what Void's motives were. If she had been fooled and it was actually a being of evil, then she would obviously suffer and die. However, if Void was truly as transcendent as it had acted, getting cast aside would be a huge loss for her. As long as she was with Void, there were things for her to learn from its tutelage. Plus, she was allowed to read books while she was here, which alone was worth her servitude.

Bee felt like she was wandering through a knee-deep swamp within her own mind. Her very thoughts became locked behind a thick veil of exhaustion. She might have been able to wish for more, but all she could realistically hope for was a kind master. If she proved her usefulness, perhaps it would continue to impart its wisdom. The first step to that was understanding the lesson. Would this master teach her the ways of its power? Was Void's screeching a baseline communication, or a greeting, maybe? What if it was a test?

It would be hard to learn from something that didn't speak the same language, but she would need to get good at interpreting its intentions. Talking seemed unnecessary for such a powerful being. It would act out what should be. And then it would be.

She began to sway on her feet. That would be an essential skill either way, she thought. Even if it never tried to teach her, knowing what it was thinking or trying to communicate might save her life one day soon. In fact, why should she wait to see if it would teach her? She would not dare to ask, but if she watched carefully enough, surely she would pick up some things along the way. That would show initiative. Her father had told her that was a good thing. It would show she could be valuable even when not watched closely. She wanted to be worthwhile. Even if she was engaged in hunting the lesser demons, she would get lots of experience and levels. So many more levels than the average person got. If she was valuable enough, undeserving as she was, maybe more wisdom would be given to her.

Yes, Bee thought as her eyes began to close. She would learn what she could from Void. Both from instruction and example, to become an asset instead of a liability. And maybe, just maybe, if it was enough, Bee could earn her soul back. Honestly, she wasn't sure if that was even an option. Perhaps it was in better hands now. Maybe the delirium was starting to give her false hope. Five realms, she was tired.

I looked at the human. She seemed slightly confused, just staring at me. Why was she confused? Was it really so confusing that I would clean things up? Also, she was doing this interesting little dance. She would slowly lean one way and then the other. The movements were almost rhythmic while she stood there, still looking at me. It seemed like she had finished making her salve a while ago. Since she was standing by the chair and her leg was wrapped up again, I assumed the repair was successful.

However, her movement behavior was odd. I had seen this before. On a low-enough battery, the human leg stabilizers started to falter. She really had to recharge before damaging herself further. I needed to find a human charging pad for her. I knew there were some nearby. I had just been cleaning under a bed a couple of hours ago. Beds were the best human chargers. When the small human would try to use any other charging pad, the large humans would become concerned. It might work for all I knew, but the large humans would typically move him to the bed. I was unsure how to communicate the need for proper charging to this human, so we might need to settle for something suboptimal.

First, I would need to break her out of her trance. I rolled slowly toward her, but she didn't make any reaction other than follow me with her eyes. Carefully I bumped into her undamaged leg. No reaction. With a little more force, I nudged her foot again. This time she wobbled and slowly fell back into her chair. Except she wasn't facing the table anymore, so the back wasn't there to catch her, so she kept sliding. She slid over the seat until her legs were on the chair seat and her head and back were on the ground.

Navigating around the chair, I came around to her head, which now lay at an awkward angle on the floor. She didn't seem to be moving, so I nudged her a couple times more. This was not good. I started to panic. Was the only human broken? But she was so small! My wheels started twitching back and forth in distress. The panic made me feel like my bumper sensor was triggered by something, but I couldn't back up.

Then my sensors picked up slight movements in her chest. I felt my brush sag with relief. She seemed to merely be in sleep mode. Pushing into her hip, I rolled her legs off the chair. After I was done, the human lay entirely on the ground, under the table. With gentle nudges, I positioned her as straight as I could. She looked much more relaxed than I had ever seen her. It was a stark contrast to her usual nervous energy.

Her posture was always so tense. I didn't think that was good for her health. She needed to learn how to relax and let things go, or she would seize up like long hairs winding around my brush. To achieve peace, she had to accept that many things were outside of her control. Maybe there were things I could teach her after all.

A little while into her charging period, the human began to tremble softly. It was like she was pushing against something that didn't register on her sensor. I scanned my memories. I didn't have that much data on human charging. Looking deeper, I found I had some ideas for an answer. The large female human had done something like this a few times. Her solution was to prepare a mug of liquid mixed with dirt, then sit on the couch with a blanket covering her. After a while of sipping the dirt juice and resting in the blanket, the shaking would stop.

I categorically refused to make dirt juice. Even if I'd known how, it went against every instinct I had. Plus, I didn't think humans could drink while sleeping. I could, however, get a blanket. I knew exactly where one was. It was a little dirty after being pushed around the floor for several days, but it should suffice.

Carefully I shut the door to the library behind me. I didn't want to let mess makers get into the library when I had just cleaned it. Besides, the human didn't seem very capable right now.

I trundled down the hall for a while before I found the correct room. I reached out to open the door, as I had taken to relish closing every door behind me. Thinking back, it seemed that this might have helped contain the mess makers and prevented them from damaging freshly cleaned rooms.

The blanket was where I had left it, sitting up on the bed in a disorganized clump. It was bundled up but still well within my reach. Extending my arm, I grasped the edge of it and pulled it off the bed. I had to maneuver around some, but I had the patience to match each corner and fold over and over again. This time when I tried to lift it, I had no issue. Holding the blanket well above my chassis, I began my trip back to the human.

Along the way, I was reasonably sure my scanners picked up a flitting movement of one of the apelike mess makers. However, I couldn't be sure. I definitely didn't have time to go investigate it right now. Pest extermination was not my specialty. If no humans were around to deal with the problem, I might have to take matters into my own hands. However, I would rather not have to; I wished the mess makers would just go in peace. There was no need for conflict. Why couldn't they be reasonable?

After successfully retrieving the blanket, I let myself into the library. It was a much more complicated process now that I was carrying something. Humans were lucky to have two hands. Evidently, maintaining the ability to manipulate objects while carrying a load was a massive advantage. Don't get me wrong, I was still incredibly satisfied with my claw. But I thought a second one might more than double my efficiency.

Carefully I set the blanket down, doing my best not to disturb the folds. I didn't have space to easily bundle it up in a carrying package again. I opened the door, then turned to grab the bedding and set it down inside the library entrance, making sure not to knock a stack of pretty blocks over. I made a mental note to move the nearest few stacks of blocks further from the door, so they would no longer be in the way.

I shut the door behind me to ensure that we were not disturbed. The human was as I'd left her. She was rolled on her side with her leg slightly bent. Still trembling and breathing but not awake. I didn't want to wake her up since she needed her time to charge, so I carefully began spreading the blanket out. Pulling one corner at a time, I dragged it out flat near her feet and then started to pull it over her. One corner to her right side, the other to her left. Then I had to adjust each one a little bit to match. Once that was all squared, I positioned the edges to cover the rest of her body.

It only took a minor amount of adjusting the edges until she was fully covered. And then, like I had seen the large humans do for the small humans so many times, I took my closed claw and pressed the blanket tight against her body. After analyzing the action, I concluded that the purpose was to ensure the subject and the blanket stayed in one position. Looking at her, I noticed a difference from the few human charging sessions I had previously seen. Her head tilted at a weird angle like a brush bent so far that the bristles started to crease. I remembered my humans didn't have that issue.

I had heard of pillows. In my line of work, you occasionally encountered them on the floor. However, it was not a common sight. We only had theories about what they were for. However, they appeared to be found most commonly near the head position of humans. Perhaps the lack of pillows had been contributing to her current condition?

My kind did not use pillows even though we still used beds; maybe there was something to be learned from humans on the use of a pillow? Luckily I knew where a pillow was, as I tried to keep a detailed catalog of everything I encountered. I would retrieve one for her so she may enjoy the benefits, whatever they were.

Out of the mist, Void looked back at her. It let out a lower-toned beep. Maybe it was just Bee's imagination, but this beep sounded wise. She heard it ring around the open area, bouncing off something hidden in the mists. The sound returned with an indescribably transcendent quality. It echoed many times more than it had any right to, given its volume. She sensed some depth beyond just the pitch. A concept that moved beyond sound waves and deep into the metaphysical realm. She felt that if she listened hard or long enough, some hidden secret of reality would become known to her. The understanding was like a weight on her shoulders, pushing her to the floor. Why had it chosen to impart such knowledge unto her, an entirely too feeble being? After saving her three times, it gave such a gift. Truly, how had she misjudged such a soul? How could she have ever thought Void was a demon?

Nay, Void was purity, understanding. It moved beyond such limited concepts of heaven and hell. Infernal power clearly had no sway over its domain. As the sound echoed, it got in her head and bounced around. With every repetition, it grew in significance. The volume may have changed, but Bee couldn't tell. The sound's travel left not a ripple in the turbulent sea of thought as it passed through her brain and into her mind. No, wherever it went, order followed, spreading out like a tide of calm. Like the progenitor, the sound of each thing it touched became pristine and in its proper place. Maybe she was getting comfortable with her fate, resigned to the fact she no longer owned her soul? This must be what allowed the noise to penetrate so deeply into her consciousness. Paralyzing her against any form of resistance… Then something screamed.

Bee started awake, disoriented. Where was she? What happened? She briefly remembered some sort of lesson from Void before she must have passed out. Profound truths were contained in that quavering note—truths that her brain couldn't hope to hold the entirety of at once. This was likely the reason for her passing out. However, when she tried to sit up, she found that her arms and legs were restricted. Bee thrashed, panic overwhelming her mind. Desperately she struggled out of all restraints. It only took a second to get free, and she looked down to take in her surroundings.

Over her lay a blanket that had been tucked in.

CHAPTER 16

THE HOCKEY PUCK OF DOOM

With a fair amount of struggling, Bee freed herself from the blanket's grasping clutches. Carefully she stood up. Looking down at her injured leg, she saw the wraps loosely pooled around her foot. The swelling had gone down since this morning, even more than it had the previous day. What surprised her most wasn't the healing, though, but the lack of pain. She moved her ankle and felt almost full mobility. It felt slightly stiff, as if she had rolled it the day before. But that was all. She shifted her weight from foot to foot and found that she could walk normally, if not run quite yet. Free to move around, her panic receded. It was a huge relief to move around freely after being hobbled for so long.

Looking around her for Void, she saw nothing. It wasn't anywhere within her sight. She even crouched down to put her head near the floor at its level so she could scan under the furniture, and still, it was nowhere to be seen. She attempted to remember what exactly happened before she fell asleep. There were some memories of profound wisdom that she had been unable to withstand. Or maybe that had been a dream? It was possible that her brain was unable to hold the revelation she had received and shut down. A combination of its overwhelming information and her exhaustion could have kicked Bee right into unconsciousness. This was quite surreal.

As she continued searching for Void and wondering where the blanket had come from, Bee heard a new sound from the hallways outside. She hadn't recognized it at first. Probably because she had never heard it before. A truly inhuman screeching noise intermittently pierced through the thick library door. That scream didn't sound angry; it was terrified. Something was being chased. It probably was what had woken her up.

She heard another scream from somewhere else in the castle. This wasn't Void. Void's screech was much more cold and calculating. Well, that might not have been true, actually. She may have misjudged the… She wasn't really sure what Void was. She was relatively confident it wasn't a demon at this point. So there were really only two options for the sources of the screams. One, the demons had started infighting (which was not only possible but likely). However, that didn't seem to fit with her gut instinct. That left option two: Void might be out hunting.

The idea of such a powerful being actively pursuing her, or any living creature, sent chills down her spine and raised goosebumps on her forearms.

Bee tried to decide what to do. She didn't think she could help, exactly. Why would Void even accept her help? However, she couldn't just stay still. Something compelled her to assist Void in any way she could. Perhaps it was due to the fact she had forfeited her soul. Or, perhaps, the fear motivating her for the previous day or so had been replaced with something else.

Abruptly the screaming ceased. Bee cocked her head to the side, listening for the refrain to start up again. After ten to fifteen seconds, there was nothing. When she didn't hear any demons celebrating, she knew Void must have been victorious.

Not that Bee had ever doubted it; she had felt the force of Void's presence before. And there was no way a lesser or minor demon could harm Void. In fact, if they weren't disturbing its castle, Bee doubted Void would have noticed them. Whatever Void did to consume them seemed almost instinctual. It did not feel forceful enough to be a directed attack. According to legends, godlike beings' attacks could be felt across reality. She never felt anything from Void remotely resembling that. No. In fact, the way Void cleaned was the same as how it fought. So it seemed that the approach was just a byproduct of its very nature rather than an intentional attack. Even the thought of Void exerting its true power made her stomach turn. To face such power was unthinkable.

Finally able to move around, Bee quickly gathered up her things and set up to prepare one last mixture of this healing salve. Surprisingly, it worked much more effectively than she expected based on the book's description. Maybe the healing should have taken another day or so. However, she had been applying it more frequently than was recommended. She hoped there weren't any real consequences for that. That was a pretty minor thing to care about at this point. As she was setting things up, she checked her status. Had she not woken up in such a panic, it would have caught her immediate attention.

Overnight she had leveled up! She had also leveled up the previous day. The assists she had gotten on the ash imps and the minor demons that Void consumed were giving her quite a bit of experience. Something didn't balance out, though.

When she had got the experience for the assist with the ash imp, she hadn't gotten the experience until sometime during the night. That time, she had received a standard assist experience share. This time, she had gotten a lesser assist for running away. Apparently, that counted as enough distraction to be called a participant. Bee thought the system was generous. Still, that share was incomplete. That shouldn't have been possible. Nothing could explain it. Bee caught herself. Of course, something could explain it. She was dealing with a being capable of hiding its stats from the system. Maybe it was getting a larger share. Or the experience was being lowered because of the power difference. Reminding herself to learn more about the system, Bee wished she knew more than the common knowledge everyone's parents told them.

As she leveled up, she would get tougher, stronger, and faster, and everything would get better. So that was a relief. What was not a relief was that at level 5, humans had to choose their class. Options were based on the actions you had taken and the deeds you had done. Most people were never forced to consider getting a class until they were in their early twenties. Other than wealthy nobles or important military personages, no one could afford to go around trying to kill things. The only ones who tried were either desperate or thrill seekers. They either ended up dead or working as an adventurer, then dead.

Bee's conundrum was that she hadn't done anything with her life yet. There was nothing she could claim as an accomplishment; the only thing she'd been was a janitor at a castle of mages. Technically her title was "mage's apprentice." That might have meant she would get an option with magic. But she doubted the system would see it that way.

She pushed that problem to the back of her mind as something she couldn't do anything about. Bee continued mixing her ingredients to make the simple salve. The motions were starting to become routine, such that it only took her half of the time to finish.

Once she was done with that, Bee began to look through the shelves once again. She needed an edge. Something to make herself more useful…

Bee jumped with a start as she heard the door open. She was halfway through cleaning her alchemy equipment. Looking up, she saw the door swing open, and she readied the beaker in her hand to throw at the intruder. Holding her breath, she waited.

It appeared as if Void was having an awkward time getting through the door as it was bringing something with it. Bee let out the breath she had been holding. It was just Void. Just Void. Oh, it's just the harbinger of the end of the world. She chastised herself for lowering her guard so readily around such a being. Once Void made it through the door, the light from the library revealed what he was carrying. Bee choked on the exhale. On Void's back, a pillow balanced. After Void carefully closed the door with its extendable arm, it picked something up off the floor. Bee breathed in, recovering her breath. Void was carrying the cleaver she had dropped when they first met.

As the little disc came into view, Bee had to clap a hand over her mouth. Void looked a little comical, if such a thing was possible for being of its power. She didn't want to offend it by laughing at its appearance. The thought soon fled as it brought the knife closer.

It looked decidedly out of character. Its actions had never been overtly aggressive, and only because of Void's power did it seem threatening. Also, the image of it holding a cleaver looked wrong. The knife was longer than Void was wide. She couldn't even figure out how Void carried it without tipping over. As it approached, holding the cleaver, she resisted the urge to back away. When Void reached her, it set down the knife on the floor next to the table. Then it turned its arm toward its own back. It carefully removed the pillow and placed it on top of her blanket. It then picked up the cleaver again. Cleaver in its claw, it rolled closer to her.

Void offered what she considered its standard beep as a greeting. This was a simple noise, still alien and scary as hell, but manageably so.

It was hard to admit, even to myself, but I got sidetracked. After bringing the human the blanket, I had planned to retrieve her a pillow. I didn't want her to receive any further damage from joints bending further than they were supposed to. However, I may have gotten a little carried away.

It all started when I was zooming along to grab the nearest pillow I was aware of. On the way there, I found the metal object the human had been holding when I first saw her get attacked by a mess maker. Sorry—minor demon. Or was it a lesser demon? The small human seemed to use those terms interchangeably.

Upon inspection, I could not figure out the purpose of the metal object. It was heavy, and even with my newfound strength, I had a little trouble lifting it. It appeared to only have one side sharpened and a wooden handle. Grasping it by the handle, I tried turning around. The weight was such that I started to overbalance. When carrying this, I needed to be careful. The sharp object certainly didn't belong there, and I should figure out where it did belong. I didn't remember ever seeing one of these in my human household, so I was going to return it to the small human. It was hers, after all. She would surely be happy to have it back. Then maybe I could figure out where it belonged. I placed the object on my lid for easy transport.

As I was doing this, I saw one of the lesser demons run across the hallway down the connecting junction. This was less than ideal. The human had made it clear that she was not a fan of these. I would usually leave it to her, but she was currently indisposed. However, the real thing that got my attention was that this demon was carrying a bag of fine white powder. As it ran by, powder spilled all over the freshly cleaned hallway. This spelled trouble. Even with my newfound efficiencies, any further mess it created would put me behind schedule in cleaning the rest of this floor. Moving at my top speed, I began to shoot after it. Before I made it more than a few feet, I felt the object on my chassis start to slide. I had to quickly grab it with my Grabby Arm before it flew off and clattered to the floor.

Sharp metal object in hand, I zoomed after the mess-spreading demon. I had already captured two of its kind before. After capture, they resided in my dustpan. Occasionally, I could feel their flaky skin chafing against my inner storage bin, a sharp contrast to the fuzzy minor mess maker I had caught earlier. The discomfort spurred me onward. I needed to stop the mess at the source.

CHAPTER 17

CHASING PERFECTION

When I was at home, my best friend was the TV. Not that we ever talked. We just had a mutual understanding. I was lucky enough that my humans had placed my bed in the opposite corner of the TV. Therefore, when I was docked, I could watch whatever was on the TV while I charged. I usually was a fan of dramas or home improvement and buying. The insides of houses for sale were always very well-cleaned. However, I didn't really get to control the TV. That was the purview of humans. The tall female human generally had a taste that aligned with mine. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the shows the male humans chose. They just weren't what I would have picked for myself. But that was okay; we can't always get what we want.

My human did enjoy a good action movie. While they weren't my favorite, I enjoyed seeing all the debris usually created in them. I knew someone would have a fun time cleaning that up. Often these movies or shows had car chases in them. Or someone was running away from someone else. I had never honestly seen the appeal of this part of the action. There was usually very little damage, destruction, or dirt on the floor caused by this (which I felt went against the purpose of such movies). Nothing was being picked up or organized, either, so it wasn't some fantasy, drama, or feel-good story. While I had struggled to find the fun in them, I have to say, being part of a chase changed my views.

I now understood the appeal—this was fun. I raced after the minor demon. As I did, I left my vacuum on. I couldn't get all the mess it made. However, my suction was apparently strong enough to pick up most of this white powder as I went at top speed. I would still need to cover this area again more thoroughly, but for now, this would do.

As I raced, I was challenged to prevent the sharp metal thing from unbalancing me. I had to be careful on the turns and when accelerating or decelerating too fast. I did find a use for it, though. If I held it off to the side as I was turning, I could make the turn much more sharply and at a much higher speed without risking a wheel leaving the ground. This counterbalanced motion, combined with my top speed, meant I was quickly gaining on the demon.

Every time I turned, I got slightly better at positioning the knife in my claw relative to my needs. It didn't take long, but soon enough, what used to be a burden became an asset. I was racing around these corners faster than I ever dreamed I could without it. The demon was starting to panic as I closed the gap.

Clearly, it knew about me, as I thought it had been following me for a while. For some reason, it decided to taunt me with the filth it was leaving behind. I had no idea why. However, I didn't really care for its reasoning. If anything, the fact that the mess wasn't incidental only made it worse. It was not even caused out of some need. No, it was purely to spite me. It was only okay when humans did that. Only they got to put stuff down right in front of me so that I picked it up along my route. Besides, you couldn't even really call that spite. I assumed they just thought of it as feeding me. It was a little fun game I let them play. But now, this mess maker was not playing a fun game.

The demon looked over its shoulder at me and tried to put on a burst of speed, but I was too fast. At the last second, it stopped and jumped to the side, clinging to a doorframe. My suction was incapable of tearing it off, even if it did make it stumble forward. I had to arrest my momentum and turn around. By the time I did that. I saw the creature had made it through the door. Accelerating quickly, I followed. I made it through the doorway, now quite a bit behind the demon. In the tighter confines of a room, navigating using the knife was difficult and I had to slow down. Only because I respected the furniture of humans. The scheming demon obviously did not, though. It led me through a few more rooms before reaching a hallway in which I started to catch up again.

It seemed to have a destination in mind, no longer running randomly. Sometimes it would hesitate at corners and look over its shoulder.

Before too long, I had almost caught it. Taking these small breaks to figure out where to go had cost it. It was already slower than me, and it couldn't afford to stop. In the last desperate attempt to escape, the demon ducked into the large room where I had first been summoned. I raced to the center to follow it. The creature hit the far wall and flipped around to look at me. That's when I heard something behind me. The door slammed shut.

I spun in a circle, taking stock of my location. Without really thinking about it, I began to form a new cleaning solution for this room. Thinking back to my first days here, I shuddered at how inefficient I had been. It took me hours to clean this room last time. Even if the mess had been significant, I could only imagine how much better I was at it now. According to my cleaning plan, I could clean the entire room in maybe fifteen minutes. If those columns weren't there, I imagined it could have been ten.

That's when I noticed some more movement behind each column. Stepping out from behind each were two or three minor demons. All told, there were at least fifteen in the room with me. How nice of them to gather all in one spot. I wondered what they wanted?

I didn't think they wanted to play, but it was the only charitable explanation I could think of for their actions.

Instead, they all charged me at once, fists raised as if they were going to slam them down on my lid. That was the most fragile part of me. In fact, I once heard something about a "recall" that my humans had decided to ignore. They'd decided that if a little bit broke off me, it wasn't much of an issue. However, it would be hard to get repaired here even if no functional damage was done. It would make my dustbin less secure. Also, I would feel too exposed. So it would be best to avoid that.

I turned my suction on full, trying to suck these up like I did all the others. However, there seemed to be too many of them. Each one of them had grabbed hold of the other, with one right arm and one left arm chained to each other; the weight of two was more than my vacuuming power could overcome.

Not wanting to get smashed, I raced away. My newfound speed really came in handy. I moved between a pair of them. As they tried to smack me, they got in each other's way, allowing me to slip through. Trying to dodge the next pair, I turned as hard as possible. To balance, I stuck my heavy sharp counterweight out to the side. It caught on something. This threw me off, and I found myself balanced on one wheel before being forced to swerve in the opposite direction I was turning. This was quite lucky, as I hadn't noticed that another pair had snuck up behind me. Their fists flew down through the space I would have occupied had the sharp metal not tugged me aside.

The momentum quickly spun me around the pair of demons I hit. I continued whirling, trying to put them between me and all the others. This was not nearly as fun as the chase. All these action movies made it look entertaining, but dang. This was scary. I had to tug a little on the counterweight to remove it from the shin of one of the demons. The demon screamed in agony and pain, gnashing its teeth at me. There was now a massive chunk missing from its leg. That did not look comfortable.

It released its partner's hand to grasp the wound with both hands, trying to stop the black fluid flowing out of it. However, that was a mistake; I saw my opportunity. I turned my suction back on full and glided closer to the demons. They were no longer anchored by each other, so the force of my vacuum was now able to lift them off their feet. The undamaged one scrambled out of range just before it was too late. The other, however, didn't make it. Too focused on staunching the fluid pouring out of its leg, the leaking demon disappeared into my dustbin. I felt it settle next to the other two already in there.

Boy, was it getting crowded in there! I started to worry about how I was going to handle all of these unwanted guests. While I felt I could safely release the minor mess maker outside, these lesser demons did not seem friendly. I didn't think they deserved a second chance. No, I suspected their energy would be better spent furthering my cleaning.

My thoughts were rudely interrupted by another attempt to come at me. This time they played it wisely. Instead of all rushing it once, they had circled up the fourteen or so remaining demons. They advanced at a walk, trying to pin me in. Typically, when I was chased by a small human, or a furry mess maker with angry claws, or a big dopey fluffy mess maker, I would just ignore them. Sure they would bark at me or try to smack me, but they were usually weak, and the large humans quickly told them off. Occasionally I had to run away. But usually, if I left them alone, they left me alone. I just had to come back and clean where they were sitting later. Once I had politely nudged the fluffy dope a dozen times, and it refused to move. Eventually, I had just given up and come back later when it had left the room.

This had an entirely different feel. These were not the same beloved household mess makers; they were truly elite. Trying to keep them away from me, I began to spin. The idea was to keep the sharp pointy object between the closest one and me. This proved effective, as they all jumped back, seeing what had happened to the last one who got too close. None of them wanted to follow its example.

All this running and spinning had significantly drained my battery. Worse, I hadn't been able to recharge in a while due to this minor mess maker inside me. It was terrible timing, but it couldn't be helped. In this situation, I might have to risk it. As one of the demons jumped back to avoid a swipe of my pointy counterweight, I saw an opening and took it. I zipped between its legs. Now they were no longer surrounding me. I began to weave around the columns, trying to think of something I could do. Looking at the door, I doubted they would let me open it. Also, there was no way I could handle that while still bringing the counterweight, seeing as I only had one claw. This belonged to my human. I couldn't leave it behind.

No, the only way through this was the uncivilized one. I had to stay and fight. It seemed that as long as they held onto each other, my suction wouldn't work. It wasn't quite powerful enough. So the only option was to separate them. I didn't think I had many means of that after the whole “whack to the shin” incident; they were wary of it. Well, it did give me some space and breathing room. I didn't know how much use it would be. Dang, my battery was low.

I could feel myself start to slow down. I was reaching a critical point where I would go into sleep mode; this was not a safe place to do so. Well, I might as well try to play it safe and at least attempt to save the minor mess maker. I focused on only transmuting part of my dustbin's contents. I felt a warm flare as energy was diffused into my battery, which filled up completely. The excess energy flowed through my system and into the ground. Sparks showered around my wheelbase. I had to admit, they were strikingly stunning shades of blue. It was a good thing this was not a carpet. Luckily the marble wouldn't be damaged by such small things. In fact, the blue sparks really did complement its color quite nicely.

Fully energized and ready to go again, I started to zip away. However, I was interrupted rudely by a familiar voice.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 15 REACHED. FOURTH MUTATION REACHED.

CHOOSE A MUTATION: FLAMETHROWER, SANITATION LAMP, SANDBLASTER.

CHAPTER 18

A BATH OF BLOOD

Now was not the time, mysterious voice. I let out a distressed beep as I used my newfound energy to circle around the group of minor demons. However, the voice was not to be ignored.

CHOOSE.

Fine. I swerved around the pillars to put them between me and the horde. Fine, fine, fine. I didn't know what a flamethrower was, but generally, a fire wouldn't be a healthy choice for the flooring or the rugs; that wasn't an option. Sandblasting might have been nice if I intended to strip paint, but that was not my primary function. Sanitation Lamp. I didn't really know what that was. Sanitation sounded practical to me, maybe not in this situation, but in general. Okay, yeah, Sanitation Lamp. Come on, let's hurry up.

I felt energy rush through me, leaving slight alterations to my internals in their wake. This time the changes felt much smaller than they had with the Mop and claw. No, I didn't really feel much difference at all besides the fact that I had a single new function. I turned it on, and a section of my front bumper began to glow, casting a ghostly blueish-purple light a few inches in front of me. I couldn't turn it left or right. It just pointed in the same direction I did. I could raise it up and down slightly, but that was all. It didn't have any other effects that I could see. I pointed it at one of the demons, but nothing happened.

I had to say that this was less than ideal. I could have used something like another claw right now. I supposed I could have gone with the flamethrower, but that seemed like a bad idea. As I considered my new function, though, I noticed something. It was taking surprisingly long for these demons to catch up to me. They seemed to be moving slower than they had just a moment before.

No, that wasn't it. It seemed I was moving faster. It seemed like everything about me was faster. Time appeared to have slowed down a bit, or my processing speed had increased. I calculated this by watching one of the demons jump out of my way and noticing how he fell down 5 percent slower than he should have. So unless gravity also decreased, I just got faster. Wow! Training had done much for me besides just giving me more functions.

I started weaving back and forth, and they seemed to have even more trouble keeping up. Getting bolder, I started going in between them and through them, pirouetting around their legs and dancing around them. I tried using my light on them from very close, but still nothing. What a waste! A sandblaster might have had a few uses, even after fighting these dirty mess makers. Though maybe it would have turned me into an even worse offender than them. Who knows.

Anyway, I needed to figure out how to get out of there. My human was counting on me.

Now that I had been awarded an upgrade, I wondered if the minor demons would still be able to avoid my suction. I turned to face them, and they seemed to realize something was wrong. They all hesitated for a second before deciding there was enough of them to charge forward and attack. I zipped at one in particular, trying to catch it before they managed to converge on me. I had no trouble reaching it before it could react. The demons holding hands were still too much for my suction, so I tried a different tactic. I raised my counterweight and slammed it into its arm, where it held its battle partner. The sharp object cut cleanly through. Black viscous oil sprayed everywhere as the demon clutched its stump and screamed. I turned on my vacuum, and it flew into my dustbin. Its partner, now holding only a hand, did not nearly have enough weight to avoid my suction. Despite trying to jump backward, it didn't make it. Caught in midair, it too zoomed into my dustbin.

Two more down, twelve to go. Taking stock of my surroundings, I realized that the demons were much less aggressive than they used to be. Now, most were looking at the exit, wondering if they could open the door and leave. They could not. I took no joy in extermination. Sadly, it was necessary to keep the house clean, but it was just an unpleasant act. So I didn't play with them or drag them out. I simply picked another pair and advanced right at it, counterbalance held high. They ran away. I chased them down, one pair at a time, and there wasn't anything they could do. One group tried to open the door, but I quickly cut them off.

The last pair found themselves in the center of the room, surrounded by pillars, as I finished consuming their only remaining compatriots. I had managed to corner them. They stood there, and instead of trying to run, they started drawing with their fingers in the black oil the others had released as they were damaged.

It really wasn't clear to me what they were doing. Perhaps they had a picture they wanted me to pass on to their loved ones? I had seen humans do that on TV before. I mean, I wouldn't say no to that. With my Mop, I could trace out and replicate the lines they were drawing. But I would be surprised if I could track down the intended recipients. How would I even start? I didn't know where they lived. Also, I didn't even understand their language and therefore possessed no way to find out. Also, I honestly doubted that they had loved ones.

Whatever their intention was, they single-mindedly drew their patterns in a circle. While one was finishing, the other was on the inside, drawing something else. This behavior was quite odd. I went over the first circle carefully, cringing as the black liquid still managed to splash my wheels. I turned the suction on but could only ineffectively suck up some black fluid. This was going to be a hard floor to clean later. I was not sure I had enough water to do much.

The outer demon drawing the circle screamed a warning to the other. It looked up and saw me, then began to draw faster. Whatever it was doing was too late. I was close enough now that my suction started to pull at them. In a few short seconds, they were being tugged off their feet. It appeared I was not just faster, but my suction was more powerful as well. Interesting, that would explain why my pathing was so much more efficient. I wasn't just finding a better path or going faster. No, it seemed that area of effect of my suction had actually increased. That was new, and I was happy with it. It confirmed that I was sent here by humans to train. There wasn't any other explanation.

All this ran through my mind while the two minor demons floated through the air toward my undercarriage. "Floated" might be too gentle of a term for it. The better description was "rocketed." Both demons screamed in fear, a sound that rivaled all the others they had previously made. I felt no need to reply as they joined the other twelve still in my dustbin.

Safe for the first time in what seemed like hours, I took stock of my situation. All around were demon remains. The lubrication oil they'd had in their bodies had spread everywhere when they collided with my counterweight. It shone black all over the floor and walls of the large room. I was lucky it was mostly splatter and not out of my Mop's reach. Still, this would be a real pain to clean.

I looked to see what the demons had been drawing, studying it to ensure I could pass it along. I considered the odds that I would see a mess maker that would let me draw the picture. Just about when I had memorized the circle pattern, it began to glow. Now that was less than ideal. I did not know why this was happening. I sure hope it wouldn't damage this magnificent floor more than it already has. It would take me forever to get this stuff out. The glowing grew brighter. The glow itself seemed to emanate from underneath the liquid. Worried that the floor would be affected, I began to act in a bit of a frenzy. I pulled my Mop out and started wiping away the circle. The glow ceased immediately. The black liquid was easily absorbed, more quickly than I had expected. When I wrung it out inside of me, I could feel it had a certain weight to it. It settled in my dustbin, along with its previous owners. I could tell that when I transmuted it, it would contain more energy than most dust particles I collected.

Speaking of my dustbin, I took stock of what was inside as well. To my relief, the fuzzy minor mess maker was still there, very much alive and unhappy about sharing the space with fourteen partially broken and leaking demons. I didn't think the demons seemed any happier about it, either. I considered how much better I might become at cleaning if I transmuted them all right now. But eventually, my good sense overcame my greed. I needed to make sure that I had enough battery. It didn't make sense to transmute this whole mass of energy at once, where most of it would just be wasted and thrown into the floor. Even using a part of it would spill the remainder on the floor as I was topped off. Though it was nice to have made the connection between transmuting matter and this annoying voice yelling at me. Also, it seemed like after the last few times, the booming voice had been less annoying. It had given me good practical stuff. I only wished it wasn't so forceful.

I considered the room as it was. After I had dealt with the glowing patch on the floor, I could still see the lines where it had been drawn. I hoped that wasn't permanent damage. The rest of the large room I would have to deal with later. I had weighed the alternative of stopping to clean up this mess now, but even with my newfound abilities, it would still take hours. Plus, the small human was still sleeping and would potentially suffer damage without me bringing her the pillow. As much of a mess as this was, I had to place the needs of my human first.

Doing my best to avoid the black viscous liquid where I could. I made my way toward the door. Little bits of the goopy stuff still stuck to my wheels. I managed to traverse the puddles slowly and avoided coating my undercarriage. However, I was worried it would stain if I went on clean ground or carpet. Eventually, I would have to convince my human to clean me. I didn't know if she would know how, though. Honestly, she didn't seem very familiar with my kind.

In a sudden burst of worry, I wondered: why had I never once improved at home? I had worked diligently for years, doing as I was told, but never once had I seen any improvement. Was that the reason? Did I need to take the initiative to grow? Thinking about it, maybe that was it. Making my own decisions was much more taxing than following orders.

When I found the small human here, I was ecstatic because I could have a human take care of me. However, it was that attitude that was holding me back. Or maybe not. When I stopped to think it through logically, I realized that if I were to stop listening to humans, I would lose the purpose for which I sought to get stronger. Clearly, the human here needed my help. But so did my humans at home. Since they sent me here, they must have been convinced they could take care of themselves for a little while. But I didn't want to disappoint them and be gone longer than I expected. What if I was gone for too long, and they replaced me? No, they wouldn't do that. I would learn what I needed to and when they saw I was ready, they would come for me.

This paradox threw me for a loop. I needed to listen to humans to have a purpose. However, I needed to do my own thing to improve and be more valuable to humans. What a conundrum! I didn't think there existed a correct solution on either end. I would have to settle for something in the middle. I would need to listen when told something. Waiting for orders before doing any little thing was likely not the best use of my time though. To improve efficiency when not actively instructed to do something, I would take it upon myself to do things I deemed most necessary. I would need to practice predicting what humans would need before they knew they could ask me for it. Yes, that would be a good balance. While a fine line to walk, I believed I could make it.

I set out to go and find that pillow so my human might rest safely.

Bee hesitantly bowed in greeting. Void beeped again and moved the knife up and down slightly. She began to regret her decision to try interpreting Void's actions better. This time it meant having to get near it when it had a knife, and she had no idea if she was correct in thinking it was being friendly. She had hoped to start slow. Just deciding to trust it didn't wipe away a week of hair-raising fear. Slowly she reached her hand out, thinking it seemed like Void was offering her the handle. Indeed, her open palm met with the smooth wood of the cleaver's handle. Was it giving her a weapon? Was she going to need one soon?

At no point had it seemed that Void needed her assistance in a fight. Perhaps it had learned something while it was away? If there were more powerful demons that Void couldn't handle… No, of course, it couldn't be possible. This must be a test. Or perhaps Void was just tired of doing all the work? Either way, she would do her best and hope that when she was too far over her head, Void would come in and save her. She hated to rely on its mercy and charity, but she had no other option now.

The only thing in the castle that was free was likely these minor demons, which were still significantly higher-leveled than she was. There were captive beasts with assorted magical abilities held in either stables, dungeons, or rookeries. However, none of those were on this floor, and Void didn't seem eager to leave it. Besides, they were valuable, and she doubted it wanted her to kill them. So that meant she might be dealing with either the standard ones they had already seen, or more powerful demons that were just beginning to wake. By her vague understanding from the reading she had done, they would likely have another couple of days before that would happen. But that really depended on when Void had decided to release them.

Now she had a better understanding of Void and its motives. With that understanding in mind, the decision to release all these monsters from the castle made no sense. If Void wasn't going to command them, what was the point? Void didn't typically seem to like the messes they made or the destruction they caused. It especially seemed to hate the shedding of their demonic forms, as they became acclimated to the human world and left debris everywhere. In fact, Void went out of its way to clean that up. Was it harvesting their filth?

Brought out of her thoughts by another beep, Void made to go outside. Quickly she gathered herself, with the cleaver in hand, and exited the room on Void's heels.

CHAPTER 19

A BLANK SLATE

The small human looked to be feeling much better. Sadly, my pillow delivery was too late, as she had already woken up. I still left it on her blanket for the next charging session. She had been awake for at least a few minutes, judging by how she had already undone the wrappings on her ankle. Now she could move much more smoothly and didn't need the large stick she had been using. I was glad to see the repairs had gone off without a hitch.

When I rolled in, she was wiping down the glass instruments she had dirtied earlier with a rag. This was a very responsible thing to do, cleaning up after herself. The human was taking my tutelage seriously. The small human at home would not even consider doing such a thing. It wasn't all perfect, though. Many fancy decorative blocks were scattered along the tables and even the floor. Most of them were open with stark plain squiggles on the inside showing.

Well, I was glad that this human was able to appreciate art. I would have asked that she put it on hold until the room was in order, though. It was almost impossible to enjoy a good floor or a nice piece of trim while there was still dust on it. Well, these blocks were not as dusty as they could have been, but they did need some cleaning and attention. Several of them had yellow bits on the side or cobwebs in the corners. These webs had been ripped apart as she opened them but were still attached to parts of the block. Also, was it absolutely necessary to look at so many at a time? I didn't know. Well, I'd let my humans be humans. I didn't think this was one of those times I needed to figure out the why. This was them just being weird.

She gave me her undivided attention as I approached. I returned the counterbalance to her, placing it in her hand. She seemed much happier than when she first saw me. Maybe this item was sentimental to her? Either way, she appeared very relieved to have it back. As she gripped its handle, I could see her knees stop shaking.

I decided it was a good time to start the "instruction" she had requested. It still felt odd that a human had asked me to be their instructor. The only thing I was qualified to teach was cleaning, as I was a professional in that field. It followed that she wanted me to teach her some cleaning methods and how to take care of her home. However, I didn't think I needed her to observe my techniques over my entire route. My strategies were actually relatively standard and applicable across most instances. We could get into specialized training after the basics were done.

I began to plan, itemizing out a list of tasks. It might be best to first show the human all the challenges. Then the human could practice. We could start by going over the basics and common problems I encountered instead of doing too much hands-on work all at once. Figuring out how she would clean such a thing would be an efficient way to learn. However, I knew that theory was not enough; if you can't fail, you can't get better. So after we did a walk-through, I would let her take some less essential rooms and practice there. She would have plenty of chances to put the basics into use and maybe develop some of her own human-specific techniques too. Plus, since she was recently repaired, we needed to test drive her new leg. If a faulty part had been installed, it was best to find out in some small bedroom rather than scorch the entryway carpet. Oh yeah, and there was one more thing we needed to do. I wanted to clean up the large room with all the demon parts and fluid. Some assistance with this would be appreciated.

With that plan, I would not only have made good progress toward fulfilling my obligations to the human. I'd also have a new ally that could help maintain my ever-expanding domain. It had been a couple days since I last explored. The delay was due to all of the excitement of the mess makers. I wanted to resume as soon as possible. However, I had to keep performing my duties to the best of my ability. Plus, who knew if more mess makers were hiding around? I shuddered at the thought of everything going on in the places I had not assumed custody of yet. My thoughts turned back to the large messy room I had left behind. I likely needed more liquid than I even had, to use my Mop effectively. Even then, cleaning the whole thing would take a long time. Well, I had many more advantages than I used to. But it was still intimidating. Perhaps my human could help, especially with the liquid—she had two arms, a greater carrying capacity, and a better reach for things in high places. Surely those would come in handy with carrying liquid for me, at least. Maybe she could even find a larger mop, and we could mop together.

Satisfied with my plan, I turned to the small human. Now I just needed to figure out how to communicate this to her. I thought she had been pretty good at understanding me so far. Even if she wasn't very familiar with my kind. This was evident from the 100 percent decrease in pats that I was receiving, despite my generally impressive performance. She obviously didn't understand proper maintenance procedures. Regardless, that did not mean that understanding each other was impossible.

I rolled toward her and let out a short, chipper beep. It got her attention. I then turned around and advanced toward the door at her previous pace.

Clearly, the human was feeling much better as she soon caught up to me. Her current movement speed was 2.34 times what she had achieved with her large stick before repairs. I increased my speed to match hers, and she seemed content to follow my direction.

With that, we left the room with all the fancy blocks almost immediately after I got back. I led the small human toward one of the rooms I had deemed tricky to clean, but not the hardest. We had already covered some of the standard rooms yesterday. So we would begin today with the first nonstandard room, then work our way up. First up would be the water tank room. After that, we'd probably see the small cages, then the large cages. I'd save my favorite for last. Well, or maybe I'd show her the luxurious rug last. If we needed a break, we might clean the large room. I hadn't decided yet, but I'd figure it out as we got there. Starting with the water cages, I led the way.

Bee followed Void down the hallway. They moved at a pace that felt slow but was still leagues faster than what she had been capable of only a little while ago. Despite having her ankle twinge at every step, Bee had no issue keeping up. That was quite thoughtful of Void. It had never pushed her too hard, even when she used that hatstand to hobble along. It almost made her feel bad for thinking it was evil.

Bee wondered where they were going. It wasn't the same direction as where they had left off cleaning last time, so hopefully, they would be doing something new. Maybe something related to all the demons around? With all of her studies, she had thought of a few ideas to help combat these minor demons. She felt a little more confident in her abilities and had even found some of the more advanced recipes. Now that she might have access to more valuable materials, Bee felt she could pull off some weapons that were actually dangerous to demonkind.

Of course, she needed to get the materials back to the library and successfully create them, but that shouldn't have been an issue. She had a good feeling about alchemy. Maybe Void was taking her to do some training. She really hoped that was the case. She still vividly remembered the deep, resonant wailing that had pierced her to her core. Whether that had actually been Void speaking to her when she was delirious and tired, or Void merely entering her dream, she wasn't sure. A dream vision may have been the only way she could receive such a condensed feeling of meaning in a short amount of time. However, the one thing she didn't doubt was that Void had that kind of power. Briefly, she had considered if it was a delusion. One full of awe inspired by an exhausted and overworked brain, perhaps. But she quickly tossed that out. There were just too many things that didn't make sense for that to be the case. Void's personal power. The indifference with which it treated the demons' freedom. The terrified reaction of the mages.

Bee was still relatively new to this whole "magic" thing, so she trusted that the more experienced mages who had fled must have known something she did not. So even if Void was not malevolent…it might have been that its kind was a mixed bag. That, or it was so unthinkably powerful that no one wanted to stick around and find out whether it was merciful. She had yet to read enough relevant books to understand. So logically, Void had to be some all-powerful, supreme being capable of leveraging immense might, but with questionable or uncertain morality. Still, that was much better than it being a terrifying demon. Bee watched Void inhale a speck of dust that had gone unnoticed. It seemed to lean toward the orderly side, at least.

Thanks to Bee's newly regained mobility, it didn't take them long to reach their destination. Void stopped at one of the doors, reaching up to open it. She knew the room, or at least had heard about it. This was where the aquatic beasts were kept. From the conversations she had overheard, these were aquatic summons the college was equipped to handle and didn't have to banish. Or they were powerful magic beasts, their byproducts harvested due to their many magical properties. She wasn't sure which room this was in, since she had never been allowed in this wing. She peered inside as the door was slowly pushed open.

It appeared to be the aquatic demon room. Bee could tell based on how the tanks were spaced out. She assumed the spaces between them would have held security measures and suppression fields. Her assumptions were based on what she had learned in the library. However, she couldn't confirm that because the floor had been cleared of any possible markings or salts. This wasn't the end of the world. Bee had been mostly expecting this. Besides, the water demons were not that dangerous. There was a reason they had to be kept in tanks—they weren't very adept at living without water. Because of that, the power levels were generally higher in these enclosures than they were in a similar land- or air-based one. The risk of one getting out was more acceptable. Still, she decided to give everything a wide berth. While they likely couldn't get out of their tanks, that didn't mean they couldn't harm someone standing too close.

What was Void's purpose for bringing her here? She knew it had to have one. Beings of such insight and wisdom never acted without reason.

She had already received the lesson of how crucial orderliness was. That was what led her to clean out her beakers. It turned out it was necessary because otherwise, her mixtures would have been off. A book she read later had blamed most alchemy mistakes on improperly cleaned equipment. She hadn't even thought about that at first. Clearly, Void knew she would find that lesson immediately valuable. So what could this next lesson be?

Well, Void had started off the lesson earlier by handing her a weapon. That was not an auspicious start. Violence wasn't something Bee particularly hated, but not something she'd enjoyed much either, back in her small village. She'd had her fair share of it, of course, but not with any real consequences. But the only way to start gaining experience doing anything other than violence was to reach level 5. Perhaps Void was telling her to hurry up and advance. Maybe it wanted her to learn to protect herself, to become stronger?

Bee looked at the cleaver in her hand, over at Void, then back at the knife. Void made no move; Bee took a deep breath. Then she remembered she could ask questions. Void was perfectly capable of understanding her.

Bee licked her lips and swallowed, trying to get moisture in her mouth before she spoke. Eventually, she mustered up the courage and asked. "So, Master, shall I attempt to exterminate them?"

CHAPTER 20

AN UNBLEMISHED FLOOR

I looked at the human in shock. Who knew she would be so bloodthirsty? Besides, exterminate what? I swiveled around, looking for a possible mess maker. All I saw were the water tanks. I supposed the tanks themselves did make a bit of a mess. They splashed and left water stains on the floor occasionally. As the water evaporated, salt and other particulates were left behind.

The calcium buildup was one of the hardest things to get rid of. In fact, I didn't think I could do it now, even with my advanced capabilities. The obvious solution, trying to dissolve it and mopping it up, didn't work. That tended to only spread it more. Also, you couldn't tell when it was gone if it was still wet. So I understood the sentiment, but you couldn't exactly exterminate the water causing the issue. Unless humans had a way? That seemed implausible at best. Humans were really amazing, though, so I wouldn't put anything past them.

I thought about her chopping at the tanks with the counterbalance. It was an admittedly amusing thought, but I figured it would cause water to get everywhere. Imagining that quickly put a damper on my amusement.

I beeped a response to her question. It was a descending note, starting off high-pitched and going down low, typically used to indicate something along the lines of, "No, don't do that." I tried to imitate the "sighs" I had heard from my humans before.

I saw that she slumped a little in disappointment. Well, I was glad she understood what I was trying to say. I could communicate “yes” or “no” to her. It made our working relationship considerably more effective. Even with an improvement of that nature, I was starting to wonder how I would teach someone when I couldn't explain things. I'd have to get good at demonstrating, and she needed to continue asking questions.

The goal of visiting here was to show her the areas we'd be covering but not cleaning today. We did a quick pass through the room. We paused and gave special attention to the areas that required extra cleaning. Corners that water pooled in, some of the particularly deep grooves in the tile, and around the drains were the worst offenders. Carved crevices guided most of the water down the drains and caused debris to gather. She nodded understanding and seemed to follow along with what I was trying to show. I was so blessed to have such an attentive and dutiful student.

Void let out a descending screech. It seemed to be a negative response. Bee had heard what she thought was a “yes” before. Those notes were more…positive? Chipper? Ascending, at the very least. She sagged in relief. She hadn't been looking forward to fishing out demons and hacking them apart with her cleaver. That was going to get really gross. It would be tough as well, not to mention potentially dangerous.

Void continued leading her around the room, showing Bee what she took to be the more pertinent areas. She noted the grooves scratched into the ground resembling containment circles around all the tanks. Well, at least the outlines of containment circles. The salts and magical components that would have made them function had disappeared. She assumed Void had erased them. Bee didn't know who else could have. They were pristine, without so much as a grain of salt remaining. Void showed Bee where the grooves were inlaid on the ground such that the salt and other components would stay in perfect shape. She assumed the drains allowed the whole thing to be easily washed away and replaced when necessary.

Bee was not sure why Void was showing her these things. Why would it show her that the demons were loose when she already knew that? Perhaps there was something it wanted her to do?

She didn't ask. Mostly because she wasn't exactly sure how to do so in a way that Void could respond. There was also a good amount of fear that she might misunderstand the lesson. If she was an inadequate disciple, what would Void do? It was better not to risk it until she needed to or got a better idea of its predilections. Perhaps it was just an informational thing, telling her, "Hey, I released all these demons. Now it's your job to go fight them for training." Or something.

She hesitated to even guess at the mind of Void. Bee thought the assumption that the demons had been released for training was reasonably fair. So she would stick with it until she was sure of another interpretation. Void certainly hadn't been ordering them around. All it had ever done was devour or ignore the demons. Perhaps it wanted the magical properties of all the containment measures and releasing them was just a side effect?

In either case, Void surely wouldn't mind if she trained on them and got that final push to level 5. Bee struggled to think of a third option that would contradict her conclusions. After all, reaching level 5 wouldn't be worth the risk of angering her master.

Void was incredibly efficient. It quickly showed Bee each of the critical factors of the room, then went to move out. She limped slightly after it. Her leg was healed, for the most part. But the healing was still fresh, and following Void for an extended period reminded her of that fact. It only twinged sometimes now. She was starting to regret not bringing her stick with her. It would have been able to provide her with a lot of relief. She could still feel the ointment working, but it would likely take until evening for her to feel 100 percent better. Still, her recovery had gone much faster than she'd hoped.

Bee stopped walking for a second. She hadn't really had a chance to consider the ramifications of what she had done yet. She was using magic! And not just basic magic, but healing magic! Something that she'd never thought she would do, especially after how the mages had treated her. Most common people never learned magic at all. The few that did just mixed simple recipes using readily available ingredients that did little more than heat the stove quicker. She was in a castle stocked for a college of mages, taught by a near-omnipotent being. Bee let a shiver of pride go through her. But it was quickly cut short as Void beeped at her to hurry up. She quickened her pace toward its waiting figure in the entryway.

Bee was greeted with a similar tour of the lesser demon room, complete with a familiarly powder-free floor. When they entered, she looked carefully at each cage; every one was empty. She guessed that all those had been released over the last couple of days. Now that their magic was no longer suppressed, the metal cages wouldn't be able to hold them for long. She knew that Void had killed at least two of them, but had no idea how many it had gotten when hunting. It very well could have gotten all of them. Either way, she had no way of knowing how many of these cages originally contained a demon. However, she was confident she'd be able to handle at least one lesser demon on her own soon. Between her newly recovered mobility and the recipes she had found, she planned to try it out.

Her confidence lasted until the next room. This was a specialty room with rather large cages, casually referred to as the "dust devil room." The cages held what looked to be collections of rocks and sand. Bee noticed some of the barrel-sized piles moving. That was not good. These might not be as powerful as the water demons, but they could survive outside their containment. That was why these cages were reinforced thoroughly, with the protection circles being much more intricate.

Or rather, they had been more intricate. Now the extra protections were missing, of course. She just hoped that Void wasn't about to take her to the fire or wind sections next. Earth was one thing, but the fire could burn down the castle. An air demon would likely leave the region and start terrorizing the countryside. Earth would probably stay and make her life a living hell, but Void could, without a doubt, take care of it. Her only concern was running into one alone.

Bee's stomach started to betray her mid-lesson. It had been a long time since she'd eaten the last of her food, and she still hadn't had a good night's sleep or a full meal in over a week. She had filled up her wineskin with water recently, but that was almost empty again. Now that she was relatively safe, her body's needs were loud and clear. At least she was hydrated and rested enough to ignore those feelings for a while longer. However, her stomach didn't let up. It seemed to know that there was a perfectly good kitchen full of delicious food around the corner, and it didn't want to fast if it didn't have to.

Her stomach made its point emphatically. She fought with it the entire time Void showed her the dust devil room. But she kept getting distracted and missing some critical parts of the protections to the point that she almost tripped over one of the cages.

Void made to leave, presumably to show her something else. She decided she was going to speak up and risk Void's displeasure. If it wouldn't let her eat and drink, she wasn't long for this world anyway. Judging from the pillow, she would be surprised if Void had a problem with it. At least, that was what she told herself to muster her courage, but still. Disappointing it might be just as bad.

"If you don't mind, Master, could we please make a stop in the kitchen? My waterskin is almost empty, and I would like to get some food. I haven't eaten for a long time. And the thought of even some dried meat has my…"

Bee bit back her words, realizing she had started rambling. Her voice had come out rusty and disused. She hadn't said anything to another person in a very long time. She had spoken to Void once or twice briefly, but this was the first complete set of sentences she had uttered in over a week. Speaking hurt. Some of that was the disuse making her vocal cords feel like she'd swallowed a bucket full of sand. But perhaps the more impactful part was loneliness. Speaking to something that understood her was like a balm she didn't know she needed. Scrunching up her eyes to hold back impending tears, she waited for a response while trying not to consider that she was likely days from any other people. Or that her only company was an insanely powerful being who didn't seem capable of speaking. Benevolent it might be, but she could want a conversation.

As expected, Void did not respond in words. It gave an affirmative screech, a lighthearted cheerful thing with a rising pitch at the end, almost as if it was asking a question. She wasn't quite sure what question it was, but it definitely sounded uncertain. She wasn't going to let that stop her, though. Bee needed to take the opportunity. She bowed to Void in thanks and started walking toward the kitchen, the black disk whirring along behind her.

I knew humans needed breaks. It was not uncommon that the large humans would come home and sit on the couch for a bit before doing anything. Sometimes the tall male human would pull into the garage and then not come out for fifteen minutes. I assumed they could charge wherever they were without a charging pad, even if it wasn't maximally efficient. They seemed to work more effectively in bursts rather than maintaining steady progress for an extended period.

It was the opposite of my kind. We generally weren't the fastest at any individual task, especially when we were learning a new area. However, we could keep going until the house was done or we ran out of batteries. Taking a break to recover energy just wasn't a concept that worked for us. Undoubtedly humans were special. So I did know on some level that humans need breaks, but I failed to consider it when I had planned out my teaching schedule. That was quite a severe oversight, and I was mentally scolding myself after she brought it up.

When she asked for permission, though, I was very confused.

Humans didn't need my permission to do anything. Maybe as an instructor, I supposed it would be proper. When viewed only as a formality, it made more sense. How could I refuse? I was here to help my humans. If she needed a break…then that was the best way I could help. Besides, she needed to be in top shape to clean and do all the other things humans liked. Or whatever she wanted to do. She was a human, after all.

Luckily, the human seemed to accept my response. Walking out the door, she started leading the way to the kitchen. I followed, trundling along at her heels happily. It was nice to have someone else lead for a little while. Always choosing the direction for myself was a bit exhausting. Even if I needed to do it to get better, it didn't mean I had to enjoy it. I wiggled from side to side. Maybe I could use a break as well.

When we got to the kitchen, the human filled up her liquid-carrying pouch. She drained a large part of it into her mouth, then filled it up again. With that slung over her shoulder, she checked the food sitting on the tables. None of it seemed to be satisfactory to her, with good reason. All the fruits were slightly rotting and did not look like anything I had ever seen a human eat. She picked up some of the bread with white fungus growing on it. Gross, the fungus was the worst. Now that I had conquered liquid, fungus was my least favorite thing. Behind stairs, of course. It was a weird debris-filth-dust-gross thing that didn't just sit there, but multiplied. Plus, it was almost impossible to vacuum up, even after scrubbing it with my brush endlessly. At most, it just flaked off. Luckily, I hadn't come across any fungus recently. Even with all my power, I had no idea how to deal with it. I hoped I'd get some mutation to fight it before I came across it again. Either that, or I'd get the human to deal with it.

The human moved to the pantry, opening the door to the small side room. I knew from previous trips that it didn't have much space behind it and not much open floor. Instead, it just led to a narrow walkway lined with shelves. The shelves were filled with jars, boxes, and canvas bags. There were also barrels at the end of the hall and larger canvas bags, each seeming to contain some sort of food item. They must have been preserved in some way, because this area didn't have the same kind of fungus and rot as there was in the kitchen.

The human inhaled deeply and got to work filling her bag.

CHAPTER 21

A CLEAN START

I watched the human stuff her bag and face with food from the pantry. She seemed like she was enjoying herself immensely, but this appeared to be a much less relaxed way to consume food than I was used to seeing. Usually, humans sat and immobilized themselves during this process. Maybe she didn't know how to properly take a break?

That gave me an idea. I waited until she had finished filling her bag, then gave a few short excited beeps to get her attention. I wanted to share something with her. Something that I thought was very special. She turned and looked at me with an unreadable expression on her face. I started moving, hoping that she would follow. Luckily, she understood. After stuffing a last bit of food in her mouth, she began to follow.

I could think of one great place for a break where we could rest and recover. Also, it was one of my favorite rooms in the whole place. It wasn't too far from the kitchen.

Bee wrinkled her brow in confusion as she stood in the doorway. There were many things Void did that were beyond her comprehension. Honestly, this shouldn't have ranked too high on the list. Nevertheless, it still got her. It was less confusing and more baffling, as in…why?

She stood in the entryway of Dean Harold's office. Void had opened the door for her, as if it was too impatient for her to get there. Then it moved out of the way with its extendable arm flung wide as if it was displaying something. She even thought its screeches sounded like a proud "ta-dah." Looking in, it was definitely the dean's office. Yep. But there wasn't much to see here; she'd only been inside once. Never had she felt any need to come back. When she'd first "enrolled," her father had dropped her off here before leaving without a goodbye.

There was a dark mahogany desk with fancy scrollwork on the legs. A pair of relatively plain unpadded leather chairs sat before it. Behind was a comparably elaborate and very comfortable-looking chair for the dean. The walls were lined with bookcases filled with various trinkets and dusty old tomes. A hatstand in the corner and a fluffy red rug topped it off. Overall it was a neat yet basic room compared to others in the castle. Clearly not getting the reaction it wanted, Void gave a short wail of frustration. Bee wasn't sure how she recognized the sound, but the meaning was loud and clear.

Void trundled forward. It quickly came to rest right on the large rug. It spun around in a circle a few times before seemingly settling down, almost like a dog would. Unsure of what else to do, Bee entered the room and looked around. It was how she remembered it, but seeing it in this light was different. No longer was she an excited yet intimidated little girl, thinking she was about to learn magic. This place seemed so much smaller and less mysterious now.

She glanced over at the pitch-black disk still resting on the carpet. Void showed no signs of moving. In fact, she could hear a new, unfamiliar sound from it. It almost sounded like a brush softly whisking back and forth. Still unsure why Void had brought her here, she took advantage of the apparent downtime to rest and eat. Bee hefted her newly filled sack of snacks and looked at the two uncomfortable chairs in front of the desk. She quickly decided against sitting there. If she was going to eat, she might as well do it in style. She walked around the desk and sat in the cushy high-backed executive chair.

Void was still making that strange sound. It didn't sound that intimidating, so she wasn't too worried. Putting her feet up on the desk, she grabbed some preserved fish from the bag and began to dig in. Really, she was starving.

Bee's eyes snapped open. It took her a second to remember where she was; she had dreamt that she'd been back in the broom closet, huddling in fear, in pain. She was shivering violently, her face pressed against the hardwood of the desk. Collecting herself and looking around, she got her bearings. She was still in the dean's office.

Void still sat on the red rug making its soft sound. At her sudden movement, her master moved a little to face her. It did something else that she had never seen it do before—it extended its arm up in the air toward her. Then it wiggled it back and forth. What was it doing? Was that…waving? Maybe she hadn't woken up after all. Maybe she had dreamed that she had made it out of the broom closet.

She pinched herself. Nope, she was definitely awake. Unsure of what else to do, she awkwardly raised her hand and waved back. Void's arm retracted. Void then rolled up to her, gently bumping into the chair leg. It almost reminded her of a cat asking to be let up. She obviously couldn't ignore it. How was she to respond? Would it get offended if she tried to touch it?

She reached down and gently reached her fingers out to it. Leaving the fingers a few inches from its front, Bee held her breath, waiting for its response. When she didn't feel any smiting happening, she continued reaching out. She touched Void's surface, surprised at how it felt. It was as smooth as any polished glass she had ever felt. However, it was not cold like metal. In fact, it felt no different than the air around her, neither warm nor cool. As she brushed her fingers against Void's front, it shrieked and spun a few times. She jerked back in surprise at the reaction, but it didn't seem aggressive. Perhaps it was just excited for some reason?

Bee just shook her head. Maybe one day she'd understand Void. But for now, she was nowhere close.

As Void returned to its rug, she noticed how the light in the room had changed. She figured that she still had some time before their next task, whatever it was. Her stomach had shrunk quite a bit over her unintentional fast, but all the food she stuffed herself with last night had returned it to something that felt more normal. Though now it was empty again. She quickly sought to rectify that. Bee broke her fast on a jar of apple preserves.

Perhaps her fear was lessening, and she spent less energy being afraid than she used to. But she started to feel a little awkward at the current situation; something was missing. It was a familiar feeling, as if two people who didn't know each other well had run out of things to talk about. The feeling was especially poignant because Void seemed to understand her.

So to fill the silence, she started to talk. She led with inane things.

"This fish is really too salty… Salted fish is supposed to be dried and……salty. But this has salt falling off it… It's getting everywhere. Gross."

Void let out a small chirp of agreement.

In the beginning, she often felt like she was complaining and then cut herself off. Not wanting Void to feel like she was ungrateful, she quickly and repeatedly thanked it for its help. Both for obtaining food and protection from the demons.

It was awkward at first. Halting. But as Bee found her pace, she felt a little more comfortable. Void never interrupted her once nor showed any indication that it was becoming bored. Though sometimes it chimed in agreement or encouragement with a light and brief noise.

Even as she talked, she felt more open. Bee started telling Void what she was doing when it arrived. How she had hoped she would get a glimpse of magic. She even told it about the events leading up to her being stuck in the broom closet. When she started rambling about how afraid she had been, she bit her tongue. Worried that she might have offended it, Bee glanced at Void, who hadn't reacted.

Feeling relieved, she continued. She started telling Void about her past. Nothing too detailed, since she was sure demons or whatever Void was could probably do something with her family's names. More about the highs and lows. How excited she had first been when she was going to be a magic apprentice. How disappointed she was that she had ended up functionally a maid. As she talked, the sentences became smoother and connected properly. It was easier to speak about personal things. She talked about her father and how, after her mother died, she had been shipped off here as soon as she was of age. Her father was a wealthy merchant. However, he and Bee never got along.

"He insisted on calling me Beatrice, as it is my proper name," Bee grumbled.

Things went on, and she started to vent her frustrations. About how she didn't know what she was going to do with her life. How her relationship with Void would change things. If it would change things. About how all her "colleagues" had left her behind out of fear. That they didn't even bother coming back for her.

Bee continued speaking for quite some time.

I sat on the very nice rug. It was still a very impressive piece. Beatrice, as I learned was her name, told me stories. This was a much better day.

Not only had I gotten a nice long rest, but strangely I felt quite refreshed too. Like I just finished charging. I hadn't even transmuted any materials to top myself off. But just sitting on this very nice rug and thinking about all the cleaning we would do together refreshed me. I let my brush slowly spin, touching the carpet. It made a comforting sound, and I just loved feeling the rug.

Beatrice appeared to go into sleep mode at some point. So I just kept watching while I enjoyed my rug. Much time passed, but I didn't mind very much. I was content. After a solid charging session, Beatrice jumped and looked around before her eyes settled on me. As she stared, I felt a bit of joy bubble up. It was nice to have some human attention again.

Then I tried something new, something I'd seen the humans do when they greeted each other or said goodbye. I believe it was called "waving." And to my absolute delight, it worked. Beatrice waved back. This was good. I was so excited that I felt motivated to get off my rug. I rolled up to her, hoping for a head pat. She eventually gave me a head touch, more like a gentle poke than what I was used to. I didn't quite get a head pat, but it was progress. She was learning! Even that slight brush against my bumper made me quite happy. I spun around a few times and returned to my rug. Someone watching might have noticed my path wasn't as straight as it could have been.

Then I got to listen to stories for over an hour. My humans back home had never spent this much time telling me things. This was quite a treat. I wasn't sure what was going on with all this magic stuff. I didn't think it was relevant to cleaning unless there was cleaning magic? That might be worth learning. Once I had some free time, I would look into it.

But Beatrice seemed really into this whole magic thing, so I didn't burst her bubble. I listened to the stories about her family, which were fascinating, but mostly I just sat there and enjoyed the sound of her voice. Eventually, she trailed off.

"Thank you for keeping watch while I slept," Beatrice told me. "I don't know if you need to rest as well. But if you do, I can keep watch. There might not be much I can do to protect you, but maybe I can wake you up. Just so you know, the offer's out there, it's okay if you don't want to or anything…"

Unlike her speech earlier, Beatrice's voice sounded much softer when she was addressing me. I wasn't sure why she would speak so humbly. But of course, she didn't really know much about my kind. I did not need sleep.

Still, the offer was nice. However, I didn't think I'd ever need to take her up on it. I was struggling to figure out how to communicate this to her but couldn't figure out a good way to do it. So I just beeped in the affirmative, then rolled up to her again. She stretched and stood up from the chair, ready to follow.

You know, I had never really taken much notice of the chairs, but looking at it from the perspective of a human, that seemed like a very nice chair. It was deeply cushioned and tall. How nice it must be to lean back in that. And it looked like a human could easily slouch in it, as Beatrice had even slept there. It also helped that she was much smaller than a large human, so everything looked big around her. But I could imagine even a large human sleeping in that chair.

It was time to go. I headed for the door while Beatrice fell in behind me. She seemed much more relaxed. There was a bounce in her step, and her face appeared to be a little less scrunched up between her eyebrows. I took it to mean that she was happy, or happier than she had been before, at least. It made sense, though. She was damaged when I found her. I doubted that it was any fun. Now she was better, thankfully.

I set off to our next instruction site. We only really had one other thing that I wanted to show Beatrice. That one I had saved for last because it was my favorite.

We made our way back to the small cages. Beatrice seemed a little confused as we came in, but when I went to the back door, it seemed to clear something up. I swung open the door, hoping she would be able to appreciate how beautiful this floor was. How incredibly unique and inspired the creator of it had been when they made this. It still baffled me how such a solid chunk of obsidian had been moved here. The fact that it was then polished into such a smooth floor with the depression in the center perfectly proportional…… I could go on about this room forever.

I made my way inside a little bit. Then I turned back to look at Beatrice. She was standing in the doorway stock-still. Her mouth was open as far as I had ever seen a human's mouth be open. Nothing twitched, not even her eyelids. I was glad she was in awe of the floor, but she stayed that way for a worrying amount of time. Eventually, I became quite concerned and beeped at her questioningly.

CHAPTER 22

STRAIGHT THROUGH THE MUD

The capital came into view as Harold's horse crested one last hill. He was still exhausted, but no longer at risk of passing out from it. The night of rest in the town of Greg had given him just enough energy to make this journey. While Captain Wallace had helped him send scouts back to the mages' college, he needed to personally report to the king and the royal advisors. This was not going to be a pleasant meeting. Especially considering that he would immediately report directly to the Warden after.

A column of ten guards accompanied him. The captain had insisted that Harold get to the capital as safely and quickly as possible. The horses given to them expedited the trip, turning it from a four-day trip to only two days. Behind the armored figures rode what remained of his college. It was a much smaller group than the one that had fled the castle. Many had resigned from their positions out of sheer fear or trauma at what they had seen. Some had returned to their original homes, either to retire or to live a quieter life. Almost everyone seemed to be tying up loose ends and moving their loved ones as far away as possible.

Harold's group approached the towering outer walls of the capital, entering its shadow well before reaching the gate. They were massive, towering at least twenty stories tall, many times taller than any other town or city Harold had seen. Even more impressive was that these walls were almost as thick as they were tall. The tunnel through the wall to the inner gate took nearly five minutes to ride through.

This city was unique not only in its size but also in that it was one of the few structures that remained intact from before the Intervention. Only a few relics and landmarks had survived that cataclysm. Most of the structures that had were strong beyond what anyone had figured out how to recreate. But the knowledge and craftsmanship that had gone into its construction were lost to time now, meaning it could only be imperfectly maintained by its current inhabitants. It would never shine as it must once have. However, that didn't mean they couldn't try.

Harold emerged from the tunnel, squinting, into a cobbled street bustling with activity. Along the edges of the street, many merchants were hawking their wares. Behind them were more established shops with proper signs. People flowed around, streaming in and out of the stores. The hawkers were mostly ignored, but they did steady business with the less affluent. Many figures had the uniform of the king's army, forest green with a white feather emblem on the chest and shoulder. All around were barracks of rough-hewn lumber, and other temporary structures that had been thrown up for mustering soldiers. It seemed like the troops had been gathered here for the coming war based on the sheer number that Harold counted.

His honor guard cleared the way up the streets, escorting the party toward the main cobbled road leading from the gate to the palace. Once they made it a little deeper into the city, it seemed less crowded than he would expect for a city of three million people. Hawkers and merchants lining the streets gave way to shoddy housing, then more wealthy neighborhoods. The closer to the main palace they got, the more evidence of pre-Intervention architecture he saw. Wealthy noble houses, a massive stone amphitheater twice the height of the walls, and the palace itself were all a stark departure from most modern constructions.

On the way through the city, Harold rehearsed his report to the king and the Warden. He'd have to explain that the project was a failure and the king's army would not receive the aid they hoped for from the college. He also had to report that they had unleashed some unknown powerful demon in a distant rural part of his kingdom. Then he had to tell the Warden that the Lieutenant's containment might have been compromised.

This would not be a fun day.

Bee was relatively young and had not been introduced to much of the crass, expletive, and generally colorful language that many adults were familiar with. That was not to say that she had no knowledge of such words and phrases—just that her vocabulary was limited and underdeveloped. Despite this, the present situation found her calling upon that vocabulary to its fullest extent.

The subject of her ire was a demon. A frozen one, larger than her family's home. It was proportioned like a man but with huge, oddly curving horns on top of its head. The horns tapered to sharp points in different directions. Muscles stood out all over its body. However, they were slightly wrong. They were not always in the places they would be for a human.

The demon sat motionless in the center of a massive room. Its arms were stretched out, head tilted upwards, screaming a challenge into the sky. Bee felt tiny compared to the scope of it, like a speck of dust falling into an endless black void as everything grew around her.

The demon was a nightmare. A literal nightmare. The one that Bee had seen in dreams as a child. Those nightmares had been so bad they had caused her to seek out her mom in the middle of the night many times. In fact, she had seen images and drawings of this exact demon before, when she was little, in the mythologies her mother had read to her.

That was Nazareth'gak. One of the thirteen Lieutenant demons was said to have roamed the world before the Intervention. Subordinate to the primordial demon of pain and torment. Myths of it had been passed down for thousands of years to scare children into behaving: "If you don't listen, Nazareth'gak will come and stick you on his horns."

The myths said that the demons had terrorized humanity in their own uniquely cruel ways until the gods struck them down. When each one was defeated, the gods left behind a statue of their last moments to remind humanity of their triumph and fear. They also left behind a promise that, as long as humanity did not forget the gods and their mercy, they would be safe from a tragedy like the Intervention happening again. Most of what humans knew about this was just a few ancient carvings and stories passed down, and many people treated even those as legends now. But this didn't feel like a legend to Bee.

For one thing, this wasn't a statue. She could see sourceless flames licking up and down the arms of the demon, and the detail was far too fine. Why anyone would make such a well-crafted statue of a terror like Nazareth'gak was beyond her. There was also a sense of pressure coming from the thing. It reminded her of how she initially felt around Void.

That this was real was tripping her up. Legends said it would run around the battlefield, impaling human bodies on its horns as it hunted. The bodies acted like some sort of gory helmet. They were kept alive so the demon could feed off of their pain. When it needed a weapon, it would grab the leg of a human on its horns, ripping it off and swinging it down. If she looked closer, she probably would see the barbs that ran along all sides of the horns.

Bee was just glad she hadn't passed out yet. She took a breath to steady her racing heart. It took a few minutes for Bee to process this. Once she had recovered herself and managed to stop swearing, she could take in the rest of the room. It appeared that this demon was still magically chained and in a cage, dormant. Even if it was starting to wake, it wouldn't be able to move for months, at least according to what she'd learned. Then…it would be free. There was nothing to stop it. The cage wouldn't help. Cages like that were not really for containing the demon but rather for keeping people out and away from them. But that should not have been the only defense. She scanned the smooth, slightly sloped obsidian floor. There should have been tons of circles drawn around this based on the space available. Those circles were no longer there.

How was this here? Why was this here? No one had seen any of the "statues" the stories spoke of. That was what made so many people think they were just myths and legends. Did that mean the other twelve were also out there somewhere? Bee froze, shuddering at the thought, trying not to hyperventilate at the sheer scale of the problem in front of her. Eventually, she tore her eyes away to look down at Void.

"How do you fit into this?" she asked, not expecting an answer. She did not get one. Void was strong, but Nazareth'gak was a kind of strong that few things were anymore. She didn't know how her master would fare against such a thing. Though if Void had released it, perhaps it was confident?

Apparently, not only was Nazareth'gak real, but its location was also a well-kept secret. The mages' college must have known about this. Likely they were the ones tending to it, keeping their promises to the gods.

This knowledge fit right into a gap that she hadn't even noticed in her understanding of the world. It made a lot more sense why there was a castle in the middle of nowhere. This castle was massive, larger than most towns. Yet it had no other civilization anywhere close to it. Typically, a whole city would have grown around a building like this. Maybe the mages kept people away?

Bee tried to set aside all of the new questions she had. Void was showing this to her for a reason. Clearly, it was the one who wiped away all of the protections. But there seemed to be another reason for that rather than just sowing chaos. Bee just needed to figure out what it was. To do that, she needed more information. When Bee thought about needing more information, she cursed herself, this time softly and under her breath. Yeah, she had totally forgotten about her first skill. She only got it a couple days ago. She'd only used it once, then she hadn't thought of it again. While Scan could only give her info on living things, and she'd found few of those in the castle so far, she needed to remember to use it whenever possible to help power up her ability. It would naturally gain functionality from just her leveling up, but that would only work partially. The more she used it, the better it would get.

Bee walked forward hesitantly. It was a struggle to keep her footing walking on the smooth obsidian. It was slippery, and her feet constantly threatened to fly out from underneath her. The other permanent summoning rooms she visited had grooves etched in the stone for containment circles to be placed in with absolute precision. Here it seemed that was not the case, and she wondered why.

When she got in range, she activated her Scan ability. She didn't want to be this close to the nightmare before her. But it was a good chance for her to gain experience. She needed to remember to use it every chance she got. Plus, it would help her find out whether this really was a statue.

Name: Nazareth'gak, Race: Lieutenant Demon, Level: above, ???

Aside from confirming that her worst nightmares had come to life and would imminently destroy everything she knew and loved, it wasn't very useful. The only additional information she got was whether it was higher- or lower-leveled than her. This was higher, obviously. She had a long way to go before she got detailed information. She tried Scanning it again to see if this use had pushed the ability up but did not get any more results. She would return every time her Scan grew stronger to get as much information as possible. Maybe she could get an idea of how much time she had to find a solution.

Bee started kicking herself for not having Scanned any lesser demons she had encountered. Having only ever used it twice was not doing her skill any favors, especially with Void's apparent interference with its results. She needed to go Scan the dormant water and earth demons as well. She also needed to level up. It was too bad she hadn't gotten any experience when Void was out hunting. Probably because she hadn't been involved in the fight at all. If she could just get that final level to earn a class. Then, depending on the class, she might earn experience without fighting. That would really be a blessing.

I watched as Beatrice approached the statue. She was getting the wrong message from this. There wasn't much cleaning to do in this room. Mostly I just wanted to show her the beauty of it. I didn't know why she was so fascinated with the ugly statue.

At first, I thought she was as overwhelmed as I had been. Then came a long tirade of oddly phrased and put-together profanity. I scrubbed it from my memory banks since it made me feel dirty even hearing it. Things like this were not what I would expect from a small human. At least I had never heard them say such things before. I mean…it was an appropriate response to this level of beauty sometimes. However, when she entered the room, I noticed that she completely ignored the floor. The beautiful obsidian was only given a cursory glance as she almost slipped down its gentle slope.

She asked me what I had to do with this. I wasn't sure how to respond. I couldn't take any credit, honestly. All I did was reveal the beauty underneath the mess.

Nearing the statue, Beatrice narrowed her eyes and focused on it for a moment. Then she just came and walked back toward me, looking at me expectantly as if we were moving on to the next thing. I sighed inwardly. After her lack of admiration for the rug, I had suspected this. I had even prepared for it. But it was still a disappointment. Beatrice really had no eye for art.

I was sad, but this was not entirely unprecedented. Many people have no appreciation for the finer things in life. I supposed I could forgive her. Maybe with enough good influence, she could realize why these things were so important. Besides, she did appear to appreciate the colorful blocks, albeit in a strange way. Perhaps she just needed a bit more guidance or exposure to real beauty. I'd have to think about how to best go about this.

This completed my lesson plan for the day. Now there was just one more thing I needed to do: go clean the large room. Well, if Beatrice was done appreciating the majesty of the best room in the castle, I supposed we could clean up the demon brake fluid that had gotten sprayed everywhere. It would be a good opportunity to observe how she dealt with liquid.

Once Beatrice was ready to go, I started to lead the way out of the room. From her continual muttering, I worried that my good example wouldn't be enough. Maybe you couldn't teach good taste. I could still try, though. I began making mental notes of what other examples of fine craftsmanship might catch her eye.

CHAPTER 23

POWER WASHING

I trundled down the hall, Beatrice following along behind. Several minutes had passed since we had left the beautiful room, but she was still muttering under her breath. Honestly, I was starting to get a little worried. In the few days we had been hanging out together, she had always been very quiet, not speaking much. Something must really have bothered her to make her change that habit.

It continued for long enough that I decided I needed to do something. We were only about halfway to our destination, but I stopped in front of Beatrice and gave her an inquisitive beep. She fell silent, coming to a halt right in front of me, and looked down. She seemed to consider her words before speaking.

"Master, I'm just trying to figure it out. I don't understand why. What was the point of releasing one of the thirteen? The destruction it would cause would be unimaginable if it got out. I understand you may have freed the others for training, or for food and resources. But couldn't you have just left Nazareth'gak alone?"

I'll be honest; I didn't really understand what she was talking about. What did she think I released? What was this about destruction? Destruction was usually something to be avoided, as it caused a mess. However, sometimes you had to destroy things to make them more presentable. I thought about that show my humans loved where a house was broken down and taken apart to be rebuilt as a newer, shinier version. However, that was planned destruction, and the messes were controlled. Beatrice probably wasn't talking about one of those times based on the tone of her voice. Most of the time, destruction only caused chaos and more work for me.

After a moment of silence, her last question hanging in the air, I gave Beatrice another questioning beep. I tried to encourage her to go on and explain.

"Well, I mean, there is no way I'm going to become powerful enough to fight it by the time it is released. So I don't think it is a training aid for me. I don't know. Maybe you're trying to find a challenge for yourself? I'm not sure how powerful it is compared to you. I suppose if you are also training and you want to fight it… Maybe that would be it. That does seem like it would cause a huge mess, though. Also, I'd rather not have the castle come down on my head."

That clicked with me. I didn't want to cause a big mess. Was something I'd done going to cause a mess? I still was unclear about the whole "releasing" thing. But if I was doing something that would result in an abnormal amount of cleaning required, I would absolutely stop it if I could. Unless that would be interfering with a human. Then again, I was here for training, so maybe I could become capable enough to clean up even the most intimidating messes. After all, messes were a part of life, and chaos was unavoidable… I resolved to train harder.

I thought I had an idea now of what she was upset about well enough that we could probably continue. I resumed my precisely 3.18-mile-per-hour pace toward the large room with the big mess. Beatrice followed along more calmly this time. Her muttering had stopped, and she seemed to relax a little.

As we walked, she eventually began to speak again. But not in the mutter-under-your-breath stress kind of way from before. Actually, I doubted she realized she had been muttering under her breath previously.

"So, I'm not exactly clear what your plan is. But it seems like you have it under control. If you need help in any way, let me know. I am eager to learn from you. If you really can consider beating a legend like that…I can only hope to gain a fraction of your power."

Of my power? That made even less sense. Humans didn't have the same power source as my kind did. Or did they? I still didn't quite know what caused humans to function. Maybe she meant my suction power? I imagined Beatrice lying down on the floor, inhaling dust as I did. It was a funny thought. That was not how humans cleaned! Besides, she didn't have any bristles, so she'd only be able to get surface particles if she did try to imitate my vacuuming technique.

Hopefully, she meant something more like general cleaning ability. In that case, I thought she might be just as good at raw "power." She could move much heavier things with more freedom, and move much quicker than me. The only advantage my kind had was we liked cleaning more than humans. Also, we didn't get tired the same way. For a human to suggest that I might be more powerful than them was baffling. We were always more of a convenience than anything else. Maybe humans here were really that bad at cleaning?

I brought myself out of my musings when we arrived at the large room. Beatrice paused after she opened the door. Then she turned away from the black, goopy mess within to give me an unreadable look.

She seemed to sigh. "You know, I'm not as surprised as I should be. It says a lot about the last few days. Master, if you wait a second. I'll go grab a bucket and a mop."

As she turned around to leave, I beeped appreciatively and popped out my Mop in solidarity. Human mops were much larger than mine. I bet that would help a lot!

Bee trudged back to the broom closet. She never thought she would come back here, especially under such peaceful circumstances. She could still see the calcium deposit from the spilled mop bucket. The one she knocked over when she first clambered in over a week ago. Opening the door, Bee saw all her good friends were still there. Aside from the broom, of course. Choosing the one that had inconvenienced her least during her stay, she grabbed a mop and the empty bucket.

With tools in hand, she returned to the grand hall. For all that Void seemed obsessed with cleanliness, five realms burning had it made a mess. She was surprised that it hadn't already cleaned things up. She'd seen Void consume demons before, usually in an instant. However, as time went on, stronger demons were getting released. That might explain why there was so much more carnage this time. While it seemed like Void still hadn't had any issues, someone like her would find them much harder to deal with. Still, Void didn't seem to have anything resembling a bladed weapon; how had it managed to cut them apart? Had they just been torn apart by force? She was sure she saw demon body parts scattered across the room, a couple of severed hands at least lying around in all the blood.

Reaching down, she touched the handle stuck in her belt. The cleaver's weight was a comfort. Even if she couldn't do whatever that was, she had her own ways to cut these demons down to size. She was stronger now. Sure, not strong enough to even think of taking on the dozens that must have perished in there. Maybe just one to start off. She tried not to picture the scene of Void pulverizing demons in a gory tornado.

She returned to the grand hall to see Void already at work. It was hoovering up all the large chunks of body parts, passing through the gunk pretty quickly. However, it couldn't quite get the majority of the liquid. Perhaps it would do that after, or it was waiting for her to take care of it. She propped the mop by the door and hefted the bucket. She'd need to get some water.

Well, the kitchen was just down the hall and to the right. It was not too far away. She could ask for help and get Void to go with her. But it was close enough, and she did hope to find a single minor demon along the way. With the cleaver and surprise on her side, she might be able to take it. Then she would hit level 5, which would be great for her survival prospects. It would also give her another way to earn experience rather than fighting more demons. It was a risk to go and fight something, sure, but if she played her cards right, she wouldn't have to do this much more.

Bee sighed. This sounds like the thinking that got me chased down the hall last time, Bee thought. Well, not exactly the same. She wasn't afraid of asking Void for help anymore. Now it was more of a pride thing. She didn't want to embarrass herself or disappoint Void. Could she really justify putting herself in danger just for that? This was an incredibly stupid thing to do. She had just finished healing and was only able to walk again yesterday. Sure she was in much better shape now, and she even had two hands free. But she also had no combat knowledge, and yet she wanted to try to Scan and kill a demon. While she was a human child, still without a class.

The demons around here couldn't be that strong yet. Based on what she'd seen and experienced firsthand, they were likely under level 10. That shouldn't have been impossible, just dangerous. Plus, who knows? Maybe this was her best chance to learn how to protect herself while the stakes were relatively low and the more powerful demons were still in stasis. But this was just a stupid idea. Bee kept repeating versions of this mantra to herself, but she was already halfway to the kitchen.

She actually got all the way there without any issues. After filling the bucket with the water pump, she started back. As she walked, trying to keep her steps as quiet as possible with a bucket full of water in her grip, she kept her head on a swivel. She actually saw the demon before it saw her. It was an undersized one, the smallest she had seen so far, only a little larger than the ash imp. Bee supposed she might have gotten lucky and found a weakling. Or one that had just gotten out of stasis and hadn't had a chance to fully recharge. This was her chance.

She set the bucket down as gently as she could, cringing inwardly at the soft thunk sound it made. When the demon made no indication that it had heard her, she crept closer. The cleaver silently slipped from her belt into her hand.

When she got within range, she immediately Scanned the demon.

Name: N/A, Race: Lesser Demon, Level: above, ???

It hadn't offered any more information. But this was a lesser demon, so it shouldn't have been at a much higher level than her. Besides, it was still moving around without noticing her presence. It looked like it had cornered something. It juked back and forth in the opening of a room. Bee couldn't see past it well enough to see what it was doing. So she kept getting as close as possible while the demon was distracted.

She actually managed to get close enough to almost touch the demon before it noticed something was wrong. It froze for a split second before turning to look at her. But it was too late. The cleaver was already descending toward its head.

The cleaver impacted. The demon managed to get its forearm up in time. It took the hit near its elbow instead of being smashed in the face. In that moment of hesitation, an orange blur shot between its legs. Skidding into a sharp left turn, a cat fled down the hallway. Bee stumbled forward, having put all of her weight into the swing, completely overbalancing. It might not have been the best idea, but the heavy blade embedded into what felt like bone with a sharp crack.

A spray of black goopy liquid gushed from the wound, splattering all over her face and clothes. And only because she had overbalanced and was falling forward did the demon's other arm full of claws miss its retaliatory swipe. The claws still took a few strands of hair off as she fell to the ground. The momentum of the fall took the cleaver out of the arm of the demon. She was lucky to keep hold of it. She landed, sprawled out at the feet of the beast. Clutching its arm, it howled in pain. Thinking quickly, Bee repositioned the cleaver and slashed at the back of its ankle before it could recover.

She was aiming for the tendon attaching its claws to its leg. This swing didn't have nearly as much force behind it, as she did not have the same leverage, but it still had no problem puncturing the skin and tearing through the tendon. Luckily, her strike was also shallow enough that it didn't impact the bone. This was good because it allowed her to maintain control of the cleaver. She wrenched her weapon free with little effort and scrambled back as the demon collapsed.

Safely out of range, Bee regained her footing. In the half-second since she attacked, black blood had already coated the floor, sprayed everywhere from the two wounds she inflicted. Now she was also thoroughly covered with the black, tar-smelling liquid.

The demon howled at her as it lay on the ground, not even attempting to struggle away. With its leg immobilized and one arm useless, it didn't pose much of a threat. The only thing it could do was call for help from its brethren. She came closer. With a few downward hacks, Bee finished it off.

Panting, Bee pulled in long lungfuls of air. The whole thing had taken less than five seconds but she felt like she had run a marathon. Adrenaline pumped through her, and everything seemed to move slower. Her movements felt faster, sharper, and more precise. She caught her breath as a large number floated up in the corner of her vision.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 5 REACHED.

CHOOSE A CLASS: MAID, DEVOTEE, BRUTE.

CHAPTER 24

THE MAGIC ERASER

Bee stared at her options intently. Considering how young she was, she hadn't expected to be offered a particularly rare or powerful class. But she hadn't expected her choices to be so…strange.

She tossed Maid right out the window. Never. Even if the other options had been particularly awful, it wouldn't have mattered. She would not choose the Maid class ever. That was as far away from magic, adventure, and just anything interesting as you could get. She bristled at the thought that her brief tenure at the mage's college was enough for this to even be offered. She really hadn't done much in her life yet.

That only left Devotee and Brute. Both these classes were things she was familiar with. In fact, they were relatively common. Devotee was the introduction class to the more advanced cleric classes. Usually, people who wanted to serve a temple or church were groomed for Devotee. Bee didn't know the details about how the class worked, but it centered around the worship of some influential figure or god. Also, those going down this path usually had a lot of support from their fellow worshipers and others. Adventures and knights offered discounted rates for power-leveling Devotee candidates because healers were just that useful. Most temples even covered their prospective members' leveling costs. That was how her cousin managed to become one, at least. His family was too poor to have funded it themselves. Then once they got the class, they would earn experience by following tenets of their faith.

One didn't have to be the devotee of a god. That was most common, but she had heard stories of Devotees serving kings, emperors, or more sinister things. There was even a Devotee who worshiped a duck, for some reason. That could have just been a story her mom told her, though.

It made sense that Beatrice would be offered this option. She had offered her soul to Void, after all. It might be a good choice for her. She would benefit from it by following along in her master's footsteps, which she was already planning on doing. The things she learned from Void might also tie into her class nicely. Also, the Devotees she had seen often used some magic. The powders they worked with had always fascinated her. Maybe she could eventually get skills related to alchemy.

All around, it was an excellent class for her current situation. Except there were no physical benefits to help her survive the coming trouble. And Bee had no doubt that there would be trouble.

Brute was the exact opposite. It was also an ordinary class, but that was where the similarities ended. Those that chose this class focused on hand-to-hand combat or any melee combat that required force. They were offered no bonuses when working with magic. They often were outclassed by the other combat classes at higher levels. However, it had a viable strategy as a generalist. Having Brute would increase your strength, speed, and health recovery and offer many skills that could be used outside of combat for more utility. Unfortunately, the people who took this class often did so because they lacked better or more skillful options. It was a bit of a default rather than something that anyone with real potential might pick. At least, that was their reputation.

She needed clarification about why she had been offered a close-combat class like this. The demon fight might have played into it, but that was just one event. Unless the system was also accounting for that feud she had with Kevin when they were younger… Or perhaps the scuffle with Janice? Or… Okay, maybe close combat was a fair option.

If Beatrice were in this castle alone, her choice would be obvious. With all these demons around, she needed a way to defend herself. Brute would see her through this situation more likely than any other option. Besides, her young age would offset any negative stigma from taking such a general class. However, she was not alone. And because of that, she could consider the future a bit more.

Devotee did seem to be a better choice. Still, there were more than just practical concerns about how helpful it would be in her immediate circumstances. Suppose she ever felt compelled to do something stupid, like wandering off to get a bucket of water without Void through demon-infested hallways. In that case, she might want to choose something to help her survive. Especially now that she had fought a demon by herself. Sure, she had come out unscathed, but it was a close call; those claws had missed her head by maybe a quarter of an inch. It helped her confidence a bit, but it also made her even more aware of her weaknesses. Bee also did not like the gore and the blood all over her. The rush was something, but it didn't seem worth committing to a combat class.

Bee sighed. There was really only one thing to do. This was a common theme she was noticing. All of her options left her with only one natural choice. It was almost like the system was forcing her down a path. She would say that was the case if she didn't know better. However, there were many times when she had friends or family friends who had gained levels and agonized over their skill choice. It was common to ask friends for advice and hear everyone's opinion, since the options provided uniquely valuable benefits.

No, it probably came from her massive lack of life experience. She didn't know anyone her age who had ever reached level 5. There were stories full of heroes who would level up this high by the time they were maybe 15, but those were likely exaggerated. Bee wouldn't even turn fifteen for a couple of years. Possibly some obscenely wealthy nobles who could afford to have a party of knights power-level their young scion for years could match her pace. But somehow, being partied with an unimaginably powerful being just demolishing its opponents gave her more experience than anything she'd ever heard.

That might have been the strangest part about all of this. From what Bee knew, the experience was supposed to be calculated based on relative difficulty, comparing the level of the combatants and the numbers in comparable skills. No one knew the exact calculation, but a Statistician could give some decent estimates. For example, they might be able to tell how much experience you would get given your level and party members versus what you were fighting. With Void's power, he should have been getting next to nothing for the puny demons he was feeding on. Yet she had seen it mess with the system before. If Void could fool the system for her Scan, perhaps it was also deceiving the system to make it appear much lower leveled than it really was. Or it could just have been that whatever species or being it was possessed much more power than its level indicated. This might trick the relative difficulty scale and give much more experience.

This was more supporting evidence that Void's name was not really "Spot."

Returning her thoughts to the box in front of her, Bee selected "Devotee" from the list. Then, with her decision made and new opportunities awaiting her, Bee headed back to the grand hall carrying her bucket full of water.

Oh good, Beatrice returned with a bucket of liquid. Or "water," as she called it. This would make my job much more manageable. I had already made some decent progress. It hadn't taken long to suck up all the large broken demon parts.

No, what was taking so long was this black, sticky, oily liquid that the demons had leaked everywhere. It wasn't practical for me to vacuum that stuff up, obviously. So after I finished all the debris I could with my suction, I went to work with my Mop. It sprang out of my side, freshly fluffed and ready for action. I hadn't had a reason to use it in a while, so this would be an excellent opportunity to optimize my efficiency models with this tool in mind.

Unfortunately, it was only as effective as it had been on the bug's viscous goop. My Mop only smeared the stuff around when cleaning without water. Sure, there was a little bit of liquid absorbed. I could retract my Mop and wring it out, but the yield was a mere fraction of what it could have been if I had diluted the gunk and then absorbed it.

So when Beatrice came in, I greeted her excitedly and zoomed over at full speed to dip my Mop in the water. It wasn't until I had done this that I got to take a good look at her. She was covered in the same goop that covered this room. Despite the mess all over her, she looked triumphant.

"Master, I did it. I hunted one of these lesser demons and reached level 5," she said with a slight curtsy.

Sounded like she'd taken down another one of those mess makers. I could always rejoice when a mess maker was taken care of. I imagined this meant there was another mess somewhere in the castle like this one that needed to be taken care of. Though since she was a human, it was likely on a much grander scale. However, she mentioned level 5. That didn't make sense. According to that voice that shouted sometimes, I seemed to be at level 15. Why was my number larger than hers? And also, Beatrice had mentioned how strong these little mess makers were. Maybe the humans around here were just weaker? So perhaps her mess wasn't as bad as our current one. That would be something, wouldn't it? Me making a larger mess than humans; I would never have thought that was possible.

I beeped my appreciation for her taking care of a mess maker before it could do further harm. She smiled at the praise.

That taken care of, we got to work. We both dipped our mops in the water again before standing side by side to clean. I moved forward slowly, turning my body back and forth, whisking the Mop across the floor. I only managed two or three passes before I needed to retract and squeeze the liquid out of the Mop into my dustpan. However, I had to go back to the mop bucket and refill my container once that was done. Bee kept dragging the bucket behind us, so it wasn't too long of a trip. But it was pretty frequent, seeing as my Mop didn't hold that much liquid.

However, it did seem to hold a lot more liquid than it rightfully should. Several times more. And as it passed over the ground, the area absorbed into it was almost twice the size of the actual Mop brush. It almost looked like the gunky black mess was being sucked toward my tool. Now, this seemed quite odd. Yes, mops were made to be absorbent, but usually it was a direct-contact thing. Mops were made to absorb moisture they come into contact with, not everything in the vicinity. But I was basing that on what I had seen from other mops in the past. Maybe this was a special vacuum mop? Or perhaps it was related to that "magic" stuff Beatrice was talking about. I'd have to find a way to learn more. How could I go about learning more about this beautiful thing?

I need to find a way to communicate to Bee that she should tell me about current cleaning technology. Also that if she didn't know much, she could ask around.

We kept going, and squiggly shapes kept showing up in the corner of my vision. Over the past week or so, I had gotten pretty good at tuning them out. However, I was starting to notice them again. This time, they appeared to be longer and took up 1.67 times more space than the average. After a while, I started to grow a little bit distracted. I began tracing the squiggles into the black liquid as I cleaned. Not for any particular reason but just because it was interesting. Like I was creating my own sort of art. It didn't seem to matter to the efficiency of my work. The way my brush worked made it clean just as fast, with or without wiggles.

After a little bit, I checked up on Bee. She was right there beside me with her large mop, making very aggressive progress. She wasn't quite as skilled as I was. That was evident, as she had to go over the same area much more frequently. Where everything required one pass for me, she would have to put water on the floor, spread it around, wring the mop out, and repeatedly clean the area thoroughly. However, that area was much larger than mine. Even with the increased radius of my Mop's area of effect, Bee's one swipe would cover many times the amount of space. This allowed her to keep pace with me. Well, she did seem to be working quite hard. She was moving frantically to stay by my side; her face was red, and clear liquid was pouring down her body.

Who knew humans could produce liquid like this. If I'd had her do this earlier, maybe we wouldn't have even had to go get the mop bucket.

CHAPTER 25

MEDITATIVE CLEANING

Bee worked alongside Void, steadily making progress over the bloodied floor with her mop. The process became a steady rhythm—dip the mop, wipe the floor, wring everything out, repeat. Before she realized it, she fell into a trancelike state, cleaning peacefully and steadily.

Suddenly she looked up, unsure what had snapped her out of her meditation. She had no idea how much time had passed since they started cleaning. Still, now that she was aware again, her body felt like it was made of lead. She was exhausted, drained, and sore from the day's activity.

It wasn't all bad news, though. Looking back at their progress, she was impressed. It must have taken several hours to get this far, but it felt like no more than a few minutes had passed.

She thought this whole ordeal would take them two or three days. If they could maintain their current rate though, they might finish by later today or early tomorrow. That was, of course, if she managed to take a break and get food and water. Otherwise, she would never finish at all.

By the time she had come back to her senses fully, Bee was panting. Void worked like a machine. It never seemed to get tired, never seemed to change its pace. It didn't get distracted, endlessly whisking back and forth and dipping its little mop in the bucket to get more water. But, on the other hand, she needed a break soon, or she'd collapse into the black blood.

Bee glanced down at Void and its small moplike appendage. She had no idea how it could be so effective with such a little thing. It swished the mop around in a slight arc, yet absorbed way more liquid than it should. It kind of made her feel inefficient. What made it even worse was that, if Void hadn't been a being of insurmountable power, the image of it waving a tiny ball of fabric scraps around like that would almost have been…cute. It was like watching a toddler digging a hole with a toy shovel, then coming back a few minutes later to find an entire forty-foot well dug.

The only things that kept her going were the numbers she saw floating up in her vision as she cleaned. Those just so happened to also be what had distracted her from the trance. She didn't initially understand what she was gaining experience for. Still, after they'd cleaned for a while, she had a theory. Having watched Void over the past few days, Bee had begun to understand its motivations better, which was a good thing since it was essential to her class. Devotee was a class made for serving ideals. You were devoted to someone, or you venerated a divine being. The Devotee thus made the ideals of the one they served the core tenets by which they lived.

Any class would gain experience through two methods. The first one was combat; all classes could gain experience through combat. The second option was class-dependent; it changed depending on a person's selected class. Devotees, in particular, gained experience by serving the ideals of their venerated being. The only idea she had managed to decipher so far was one of cleaning and order. But given its excessive focus on all things janitorial so far, she wondered if those were Void's only ideals. If that were the case, then she might be gaining experience from cleaning. Like a Maid would.

She thought she had avoided this fate. However, despite going with a different option, she still ended up pretty much getting the Maid class with extra steps. She wished she had just picked Brute instead.

Even though she hated it, the experience she was getting was almost as much as she received for killing that demon. In fact, she had already reached level 6. It was a pretty unheard-of pace, especially with the comparatively small risk she was taking on. It would still be a while before she reached her next skill and the possibility of anything magic-related in her class. Still, it seemed closer and closer every moment. She coursed on the second wind from her new level for a while before the adrenaline wore off.

Amazingly, it was not Bee that asked for a break. Instead, Void had stopped in the middle of a sweep and looked at her. Well, she assumed it was looking at her. It definitely turned, and she could feel its attention on her. She was curious whether it was a perk of her class or just her being continually aware of its presence. Still, she could feel it considering her.

After a couple of seconds, it gave out a soft conciliatory screech and retracted its little mop. With that, it turned around and started heading for the door. Bee almost collapsed in relief. She was already tired, but with the prospect of a break looming over her, she realized the full extent of her exhaustion. Her increased level had helped a lot. Otherwise, she would have probably passed out at this pace.

Recovering her balance with the mop, she sucked in a couple of breaths before following Void. She caught up to it by the time it reached the door. With its arm, it indicated that she should lean her mop up against the wall near the bucket, which she gratefully did. Then it continued out of the room and headed back toward the library.

Bee was ready for a nap, but there were things to do first. If they were going to spend time in the library, she needed to use it wisely. There were a couple other things she needed to research. First, she would need to find a complete guide on the Devotee class. While she had some general knowledge about it, it was something she'd never thought she would pursue. Her family, though wealthy, was not particularly favored by the church. She wouldn't have been involved in enough worship to be offered such a class under normal circumstances.

The second thing she needed to research was the demon Lieutenant. Sure, she had read fables about him, but those weren't necessarily good sources of factual info. But if the mages' college knew he was here…they had to have replaced the protection circles regularly as the material ran out of power for several millennia at least. She wouldn't be surprised if they had more information about him somewhere. In fact, she wondered how Void had managed to break into the room without any signs of forced entry. She hadn't seen it go into any other locked room yet. Maybe it shouldn't have surprised her, but it was a mystery she would need to ponder.

Maybe with enough time and practice, she could replace the suppression fields herself. Still, based on how complex a field for Nazareth’gak would need to be and how little experience she had, that would probably take her more than the few months she had. Though with any luck, it might not be at full power after a few months. If she was lucky, that might take years. However, as soon as it could move, breaking out of the cage would probably be trivial. That would be more than she could deal with.

No, her only options were to figure out a faster way to contain it, call for help, or discover some sort of weakness she could use to kill it before it fully awakened. Killing it might be a stretch; just damaging it enough that she had time to contain it would be above and beyond. Still, the odds of her even finding a weakness she could reasonably take advantage of were minuscule. If Void was willing to do something about it, she wouldn't have to worry. She wasn't sure, though, and she wanted to avoid risking the consequences of an unleashed calamity if Void didn't take action. Earlier she had said that she trusted Void to have it under control, but she was reconsidering. Void seemed inscrutable, and she wouldn't put it past her master to be testing her even with this. It would be good to be prepared.

Both the Devotee class and Nazareth'gak were things scholars dedicated their lives to studying. She, on the other hand, only had a little time to dedicate to either of them. Sure, she was exhausted, but she needed to get started. Who knew how much time she would have to research like this, given Void's training. Her other questions, like where the hell Void came from, would have to wait.

I was a little bit at a loss. We made our way to the room with fancy blocks so Beatrice could charge. However, I didn't know what to do while she was charging. I had cleaned this room several times in the past few days, and it really didn't need the attention anymore. The floor sparkled like freshly polished marble, and I had organized all of the blocks I could reach. I could leave her alone and just close the door. However, she seemed to be a bit of a magnet for trouble. I figured if I let her out of my sight again, she might end up burning the place down or attracting a mess maker from the outside that would cause more destruction. She seemed to need supervision.

However, my issue was resolved as we came across the body of one of the demons in the hall. Beatrice looked proud when she informed me of its defeat, and she thought removing a mess maker was difficult. Of course, she made quite a mess while doing so, but I wasn't one to complain. We had spent most of a day cleaning up the last mess I made doing the same thing.

Once we got Beatrice settled down and charging, I would return and take care of the mess so she wouldn't have to. I couldn't think of a better way to thank her. It might be a risk, but I thought it was worth it. Cleaning this mess would be necessary. We couldn't leave a second huge mess like this for long.

Entering the library, Beatrice didn't go to her usual charging spot. Instead, she went to grab the fancy blocks from the wall. As much as I appreciated home decor, now was not the time. I tried to communicate this to her in a series of beeps. First, I came to rest next to her charging table. Then I pointed at her with my Grabby Arm, then at the table. She stepped away from the shelves and came over with a strange look on her face—confusion, maybe? I repeated the motion, just in case.

"You want me to lie down? On the table?" Beatrice asked. I beeped a confirmation to her. Being able to communicate with a human was so helpful!

Hesitantly, she got on the table and assumed the optimal charging position before turning her head to look at me. I watched her. It only took a couple minutes before she dropped into sleep mode. I waited a while to ensure her secure connection to the charging pad. Finally, I was satisfied after a reasonable time when she didn't roll off or lose connection.

Closing the door behind me, I started back to the mess in the hall. I surveyed it. It was not nearly as bad as the mess in the large room. It seemed that no parts of the mess maker were wholly separated from the main body, and that had reduced the coolant's leaking. How nice of her to try and minimize the liquid output like this. She really was learning so well. Actually, to be honest, I wasn't sure what fluid this was. I thought it was a fair assumption that it had multiple purposes. I only saw the one kind from all parts of these demons. So it was some sort of utility fluid that was coolant, lubrication, and brake fluid all in one.

I quickly added the demon's parts to my dustbin. It joined all the others already there, though this one was utterly non-functional. I transmuted it right away. I was starting to dip below optimal energy levels, and I felt there were plenty of other materials in storage I could use at a moment's notice. The fuzzy mess maker was still inside with the fourteen angry lesser demons who would never leave. Now I only needed to deal with the fluid.

Since this morning, I had optimized my strategy for cleaning the demon utility fluid. I only needed water. That wasn't an issue; there was a bucket just down the hall. Even if it were too heavy to move, I had even found a way around that limitation. By storing water inside my dustbin and using that to saturate my Mop, I could avoid the travel time associated with trips to the bucket. I had only been using the bucket in solidarity with Beatrice and to lead by example. Once I had accumulated enough fluid in my reserves, it wasn't necessary anymore; it was just fun. I zoomed into the large room and consumed a large amount of the bucket's contents. That would probably last a while. Then, I returned to the demon utility liquid to start cleaning.

Bee lay on the table for quite a while. She had started to doze, but the sound of the door closing woke her up. That was bizarre. Was Void trying to make her sleep? She was tired, sure, but it wasn't close to nighttime. It was too early to sleep by a mile. Also, had it been waiting for her to sleep before leaving? It almost looked like it was trying to sneak away or something. That was almost more perplexing than the sleep thing. Maybe it was doing something dangerous or secret and didn't want to be followed?

Bee sat up and took a few sips of water. She was tired, but only physically; she'd be fine after a chance to catch her breath. Really, taking a quick breather would put her in a perfect spot to research like she had planned.

Still slightly confused, Bee got up to go look through the books.

CHAPTER 26

ROLLING DOWN THE RED CARPET

I quickly finished cleaning up the hallway mess with my new and improved mopping technique. Given my efficiency, I expected that Beatrice would still be charging for a while. It seemed that once humans ran out of energy, they needed a long time to regain their strength, around eight hours. They were very cranky when woken up earlier than that. When she completed charging, we would continue cleaning the large room. By my estimates, it should only take us 6.7 hours more to complete that job. However, I didn't want to start now and rob her of the pleasure of finishing that job. Besides, I was having so much fun working side by side with a human. Humans rarely joined me in my tasks, but it was always a pleasure when they did.

I thought about what I should do while waiting for Beatrice. Aside from cleaning some of the other areas that might need attention, I was eager to finish something else I started a while ago. If my understanding of the floor plan was correct, there was only a little more of this floor for me to explore, excluding areas I couldn't reach. I would love to finally have a complete model of the place and be able to plan my routes with maximum efficiency.

I checked to ensure my work here was complete, then zoomed toward the next unexplored area in my model. It was time to have a little adventure.

Humming to herself, Bee's eyes darted between her dictionary and the book on classes. She had gotten much faster at reading, but many words still eluded her. Regardless, she had learned a lot about her new class already. Apparently, a Devotee's experience was not based on the Devotee's interpretation of the ideals of their master. Instead, it was awarded based on whether actions aligned with their master's interpretation of their ideals. That kind of made sense, but it also wasn't very intuitive. How, then, were there any disagreements over what the gods believed? It seemed like it would be a pretty straightforward question to answer.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden bang. Bee's head snapped up toward the hallway. A distinct yowling and screeching followed the initial disturbance. It wasn't like the odd sounds Void made, nor did it sound like any of the demons she had encountered so far. However, it was familiar somehow. No, this sounded like…a terrified cat? She recalled the orange blur that had darted past her earlier.

The sound was growing louder, as though the cat was approaching. She rushed to the door and scanned the hall in bewilderment. Sure enough, a streak of orange fur rounded the corner and ran past her, puffed up in terror.

Soon after, Void came careening around the corner. It tipped on its side, skidding sideways on one wheel in an attempt to make the turn before righting itself and flying after its prey. And boy, was it moving. The disk shot toward her faster than any horse she had ever seen. How had the cat managed to evade Void for this long?

Putting aside the fact that Void apparently rolled on wheels instead of hovering, Bee found herself at the precipice of a critical decision. Should she try to stop Void and reason with it to spare this cat's life? Or should she stay out of this, leaving the cat to whatever fate Void had in store for it? But, of course, it was just a cat—was it worth the risk of defying her now formally recognized master?

Before she even knew it, Bee stepped into Void's path. How could she not? Bee had a soft spot for cats. Plus, having one more living thing in the castle that wasn't a killer demon would be great for her sanity. She could feel the edges of her clothes fluttering in the air as they were pulled toward the unearthly black disk.

I had almost caught up to that mess maker. It was quick, quicker than any other ones I had encountered. Not as fast as I was, though. The only problem was that it could change directions much more efficiently. If I'd had my counterbalance, I would have been able to catch it. Without it, the best I could manage was using my momentum to balance on one wheel as I drifted around each corner. It wasn't nearly as effective, but it preserved my speed better than just turning my wheels as hard as possible. Still, I had been gaining ground, and it was only a matter of time before I caught it.

Then out of nowhere, Beatrice blocked my path. It was surprising, to say the least. I had to put on my brakes, turn sideways, and skid to a halt as best as I could to not run into her. Luckily I hadn't reached top speed yet; otherwise, I might have plowed right into her ankles.

I saw the orange creature sprinting around another corner and out of sight. I was so close to catching that mess maker, too.

I looked up at Bee. She seemed a bit frightened. Understandable. Frankly, with her luck, I was surprised we hadn't collided. This was just further proof that she was a magnet for trouble. She held out her hands pleadingly. "Master, please have mercy. It's just a cat."

I beeped at her, frustrated, asking her to get out of my way. She hadn't seen what I had.

"Whatever it did, I'm sure it didn't mean any harm."

Didn't mean any harm! My normally unflappable demeanor was very seriously flapping. That thing had one hundred percent, unequivocally understood what it was doing! The first time it knocked a glass on the floor, sure, maybe it was an accident. That's why I cleaned it up and politely requested that it not make the same mistake again. The second time, I had doubts, since it had obviously watched me clean both messes up. But the third time? After I was so polite and everything?

I shut off my visual sensors for a moment. Think about calming things. Like delicate rugs, fine dust disappearing into my dustbin, a freshly cleaned brush. It was okay. I beeped less angrily this time. After a few seconds, I beeped inquiringly at Beatrice. Yes, it was a cat. I remembered we had something like it back with my humans. It was a different color, though. I understood why they kept it; it was a companion of some sort that produced much of the matter I was responsible for cleaning. However, it had never done anything as intentionally rude as this cat. Still, if cats were human companions, then perhaps there was some reason why Beatrice didn't want me to remove this one. Maybe it was hers?

Beatrice could read my confusion, and words began pouring out of her. "The cat could be useful to you, see? They help keep the mice and rats down. Those are bad because they bring disease and eat food and poop everywhere. I hate rats. And cats can usually take care of themselves. I haven't seen any, erm…signs…of that cat around, either, so it won't cause the same kind of problem as other rodents like that."

I considered her words. So cats could help me deal with the other mess makers, then? But would this really be a benefit if the cat was a mess maker itself? I wasn't sure. Perhaps if the cat could prevent more messes than it caused, it would be worth it. That might be hard to judge. Maybe I could model it?

Bee continued. "Also, cats are warm and cuddly and normally don't do anything but lie there. Sure, sometimes they scratch, but it's not too bad, usually, and I've never had a cat before…"

I beeped in hesitant affirmation. Seeing that I was convinced, Bee fell into silence, a nervous grin appearing on her face. I would have to observe this cat and its behaviors. It could be tolerated if it genuinely did prevent messes of a grander scale than it caused. Maybe I could recruit my human's help in monitoring its activity if she wanted to take care of it.

Bee was sweating profusely, as she had all of today and all yesterday. She and Void had spent the last few days finishing off the main ritual room and tending to some other areas that needed cleaning. All of this work, while manageable, was exhausting. Worse than that, though, it had confirmed her fears. By picking the Devotee class, she had essentially acquired a Maid class with extra steps. She gained experience through cleaning. Not just cleaning, but organizing things, too. Putting away books after she used them gave her a token amount of experience. Cleaning up any mess was the same—the bigger the mess, the higher the experience. Even straightening things that were out of line counted.

Even worse were the activities she had discovered that didn't give her anything. For example, making her healing salve didn't give her experience. It was the same with making demon repellent. In fact, none of the alchemy recipes she tried did anything for her. Even meditating and praying to Void didn't give her experience.

She stretched, groaning as she straightened from polishing the library table. The only other thing that had given her experience so far was combat, as expected. She had managed to kill another demon (and clean up the mess from their battle, of course), but she wasn't sure if gaining experience like that would be sustainable. Too dangerous. Cleaning was safer, and it was straightforward, but…there had to be another way. Preferably a way that involved magic, especially of the alchemical variety.

Bee got back to work, pondering her path forward. She would not live the rest of her life as a maid. Instead, she would find a way to work this in a more palatable direction. But in the meantime, there were shelves to dust.

After much observation and training, I considered Beatrice's formal instruction complete. I thought I had gone above and beyond in teaching her what I knew about cleaning the castle. As for raw cleaning ability, my technique differed significantly from what a human could use. There was no point going over that with her. Especially since she had taken to developing her own technique swimmingly. She had the work ethic and drive to improve, so I saw no reason to continue being her instructor.

She seemed to vehemently disagree. She stood before me, fists pressed together and bowed low at the waist.

"Please, Master," she said. "Allow me to continue learning from you."

I needed to figure out how to convey that I had nothing more to teach her. I would feel like a fraud if I continued like I was pretending to teach her. I would have preferred if we returned to a normal relationship where I cleaned and my human gave me pats. Correct pats technique was one thing my tutelage had not managed to get through to her. Regardless, Beatrice was unwilling to let this matter go.

Perhaps it had to do something with the humans here? Maybe I was right about them being terrible at cleaning, but perhaps they were a little dim too? So far, none had acted nearly as wisely as my humans. Of course, I put that up to overexcitement, but perhaps looking back, things could be seen differently.

If I could think of something else I was qualified to teach, I could do that. However, I needed more ideas. And I refused to pretend or fake any teaching.

I considered how to convey this when an idea struck. I could teach Beatrice how to be more independent. Then she might feel more comfortable working alone without my supervision. More than that, though, I could also help her learn how to relax a bit. She seemed so worked up all the time. This begging me to be her teacher was only the latest example. I might not have much to instruct on beyond cleaning, but I had found my peace with the world, and she had not. It was a great idea. How could I deny such a request, framed in this light?

I made a long, complicated series of beeps and whistles, doing my best to convey that, yes, I would instruct her, but differently than before. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what she understood. She seemed to think about it for a minute before bowing even lower with a "thank you, Master."

She really needed to stop doing that. Maybe I needed to teach her that before anything else.

Now that the matter was settled, I led her to our next primary task. Now that she was healed and this floor was explored, I wanted to finally brave the insurmountable stairs. It was a huge step in expanding my domain, and I ran some quick circles around Beatrice's ankles as we arrived.

There were twenty-seven stairways on this floor, going either up or down. Now that this floor was mapped out, cleaned, and had a schedule prepared, I decided to lead us toward the first significant stairwell I had encountered. The one at the end of the large central hallway, just opposite the room I first woke up in. It had a quite soft-looking red carpet running down the center, leading downward to a large, flat landing.

Despite all my growth, my triumphs in conquering doors and liquid, stairs were something I still needed to figure out. And now, I had a human to help me do so. Soon, no place would be safe for dust or debris to hide. Not between my high-quality work and my human's mighty reach.

Not wanting to waste a minute, I led Beatrice to the precipice.

I rolled up to the edge until my cliff sensors were screaming at me that I could not go any farther. Beatrice stood next to me, looking down. We sat there contemplating the great unknown together.

"You know, I never thought I'd be leaving so soon. After my father dropped me off, I figured I'd be here for years. Then after you came, I figured I would never leave at all. The adventure awaits," Beatrice said as she started down the stairs.

As she continued walking, I beeped indignantly. Hey! You forgot me. Confused, she looked up at me. I extended my Grabby Arm upward, opening and closing the claw. I had seen the small human do something similar to this when he wanted to be picked up. His technique was 98 percent effective. When she continued to stare, I even rolled around a little bit. She still didn't seem to get it.

What, did she expect me to roll down the stairs by myself? Couldn't she tell I wasn't built for this?

Matthew, Arnold, and Patricia stared up at the castle. They discussed the rumors and accounts of the mages that had made the college their home. The castle did not disappoint in its grandeur. If anything, it had been understated how beautiful and majestic it was. The only thing that surprised them was the missing shadow of oppressive doom that had come to hang over it in their minds.

Having occupied the castle for nearly two weeks, the demon from beyond should have corrupted it somehow. Maybe there would have been a thunderstorm above or demons and monsters flying around in circles, cawing for human blood. Or the forest would have been withered, gray, and dead. However, the skies were blue; a couple of clouds rolled by, but no sign of a storm. The trees seemed just as green as they were anywhere else, and no more beasts were seen. Well, they did see several deer nearby. They would have said it was a lovely day if they hadn't known any better.

According to Patricia, everything seemed fine. The only odd thing was the lack of activity in the castle. They'd been watching it for several hours, and there had been no movement, human or otherwise.

"I still think we should go at night," Arnold argued. "It feels wrong to just walk up there."

Patricia sighed. "Arnold, we've gone over this a dozen times; there's no reason to go at night. It would be much more likely for any resistance we encounter to be helped by the night than hindered by it. Likely it would provide no cover for us, either. We'd just make it so we couldn't see them coming."

"I know, it just…feels wrong."

Mathew did his best to ignore them as he looked up at the castle consideringly. There was also no reason to climb over the walls; their best option seemed to be going through the front gate.

He cut through their bickering. "We'll go in an hour. Get some rest, eat and drink. We want to be in and out before sunset."

CHAPTER 27

SPRING CLEANING

Bee froze after just a few steps down the stairs, her shocked expression meeting Void's inscrutable one. What? Just…like…what? Void wasn't following her. Not only that, it seemed to be very agitated that she was going on without it. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought that Void was either afraid of stairs or incapable of traversing them. But that was absurd. Right?

Honestly, she struggled to think of anything more absurd. So an omnipotent being from the great beyond, capable of striking terror into the hearts of hardened mages, had a weakness. And that weakness was stairs. Yeah, no, that didn't make any sense. Something was very wrong here.

Even more than that, Void was acting very strangely. In fact, it was… As unbelievable as it sounded, it looked like a cat asking to be picked up.

Maybe she was missing something obvious. She waited for any explanation or clarification from Void, but it offered nothing. It just continued rolling back and forth slightly, its claw extended upward. After a few minutes, she made to continue down the stairs, but Void began screeching frustratedly. Was it…exasperated? Bee slowly retreated up the stairs to a series of encouraging chirps from her master. This couldn't be what it actually wanted. She had only touched Void once, possibly twice if you included when it saved her from that lesser demon. But still, she was hesitant to do so. Plus, even if Void had been much more amicable than expected, the consequences of offending it could still be deadly. And if she were wrong about it wanting to be picked up, that sounded like a quick way to hell.

Void was now bumping lightly against her boots and tugging at her shirt with its claw. Bee considered the facts one last time. Perhaps that unwillingness to go downstairs wasn't a lack of ability or fear; maybe it was laziness? She had never known it to be lazy before when it came to cleaning. Perhaps stairs were something that required more energy from it? Or it wanted to be carried like some sort of royalty? Maybe that wasn't out of the question. But it didn't change the fact that she didn't want to.

Hesitantly she bent down to touch it, and it gave an encouraging beep. Oh gods, this couldn't actually be what it wanted. Bee touched Void gently, and it stayed still. No pain, no rebuking, no instant death. She ran her fingers over its side and gently placed her hands underneath its belly. Bracing her legs, Bee steeled her resolve and lifted with all her strength.

She almost fell backward down the stairs. Void was lighter than a cat. She had no idea how that was possible with all the stuff it consumed. All right, just one more thing that didn't make sense. Having been promoted to "Void Bearer," Bee turned back toward the stairs. She held her master firmly but carefully, as though it were a platter made of solid gold. One that had an exquisite crystal goblet that was full of expensive wine on top. With her stress level through the roof, she began to carefully make her way downstairs.

She was lucky that these were the grand stairs. It was a direct path from the front doors to the great hall. They were large, long, and not very steep stairs. They were meant to convey majesty, but also make sure that elderly visitors, rulers, and monarchs were able to traverse them without embarrassment.

It gave her plenty of space to put her feet and carry her cargo safely to the bottom. As soon as she reached the floor, she quickly placed Void on the ground and stepped away.

Void let out a series of ascending screeches and chirps, almost like a victory bugle. It sounded almost thankful. One of these days, Beatrice would figure out the meaning behind what just happened. However, after this debacle, she was under the impression that Void hated stairs. It seemed weird to hold animosity toward something like that, but she couldn't find any other way to describe it.

Finally! I didn't understand why that was so hard for her. She carried me more gently than necessary, but I appreciated it. She was a charming human.

After we landed on the new floor, Beatrice wandered off somewhere herself. I immediately set to work surveying this unique area. Upon first inspection, it didn't seem to be a vast floor; it almost seemed to be some entryway to the main floor. That would explain the scope of the previous floor's footprint. There were smaller stairs on each side of the main stair and a suite of rooms. At first glance, they appeared much more modest than the ones upstairs—perhaps for servants rather than guests or prominent house members.

I took in the new room. It was a grand one matching perfectly with the large room upstairs. The floors were comprised of beautiful marble, well-placed with a runner stretching along the room's length to some imposing large doors. The baseboards were decorative, and I even noticed some art on the walls.

I explored the areas immediately around the stairs, cleaning as I went and using my claw to open whatever doors I could. One led to a small room with many hanging jackets. Another was just lined with padded benches.

These side rooms were much less pleasant. They were primarily floored with barely varnished wood, they were uneven, and everything was covered with a fine layer of dust.

Eventually, I decided to focus on the task at hand and set about sweeping up the gathered dust.

Bee just wanted to get some fresh air. She hadn't been outside since she had been dropped off over a month ago. Reaching for the front doors, Bee tried to pull them open. Then she leaned into the one on the right with all her might. It slowly creaked open with a squeal of protest. Despite her higher level, it took more effort than she expected to even open the door a crack. But with a bit of patience, she opened it wide and felt the breeze on her face. The sun was beautiful.

She just stood there for a second, reveling. This last month had been the most insane one she'd ever had. However, she could no longer say she was that upset with it. Last week was all right. Ever since her leg healed, things had started looking up and up. She had leveled, gained the mentorship of…something, and even started learning magic on her own. Sure it was pretty basic, but it was still magic!

Soon they would venture forth like some great master-apprentice combo in an adventure of legend. They would do great deeds and have their names sung in great epics. They would save princesses, marry princes (well, she would), and uncover all the treasure. She supposed they would do a lot of cleaning along the way too. If anything was going to put a damper on her mood, it was that. Not the loss of her soul, nor the possible excommunication from humanity, or who knows what other consequences. Just the prospect of cleaning being a theme during that otherwise exciting adventure.

Bee thought briefly about the future. Hopefully, no one had even realized she was gone and they had never thought to ask. They'd probably assumed she had slipped out when everyone else escaped and was hidden in the woods. However, she'd have to ensure that Void didn't scare too many people; otherwise, the wrong sort of legends would be spun around.

Lost in her thoughts, Bee didn't notice the trio of people striding through the outer gate and into the courtyard. She was jolted from her musings as they came to a halt at the base of the entry stairs and called out.

"You there, girl. What are you doing here?"

Bee turned her face from the sun and toward the newcomers. Before her stood two men and a woman, each armed with an assortment of swords, bows, and daggers. Underneath their mud-spattered cloaks was sturdy-looking armor. A couple of them seemed to bear a sigil of some kind. A regular adventuring party, from the looks of it.

Shoot. Are they here about Void? Bee thought.

"What do you mean?" she asked unconvincingly. She tried to put on a reassuring smile. "I, uh, I work here. This is the mages' college?"

That last sentence came out more of a question than a statement. The adventurers became noticeably more on edge.

"We were investigating the ancient demon of unknown yet powerful origin that has invaded this castle," the warrior-like man in the center, who appeared to be the leader, explained. The man's tone was comforting. However, it was undercut by how he subtly loosened the sword at his side in its scabbard. "Have you not noticed it?"

"Yeah, there's—there's no demon here. The mages were scared off by something else; it was not nearly as scary as they thought. And everything's totally fine here."

The trio stared at her in silence for an uncomfortable moment. Bee struggled not to shift under their gazes.

"She's totally possessed," whispered the other, lankier man. He tried to whisper, but he wasn't very good at it. Bee could clearly hear every word.

"Shut up, Arnold," the woman whispered back.

The leader turned his head to glare at Arnold. Then he turned a wary eye over toward Bee.

"As much as I hate to agree with Arnold, I have to say you are acting awfully suspicious." He slowly climbed the stairs toward Bee, with the others following. "I'd love to hear everything is fine here, but I'll have to check for myself. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions about this whole business?"

What the hell was that supposed to mean? How was she acting possessed? She was nervous, but could they sense that she had somehow given away her soul? "I'm telling you the truth. I don't know what else I can say…"

The man was only a few feet away from her now. "You wouldn't mind if we asked you a few more questions, then, would you?"

That sounded like a bad idea. Being a suspected possessed vessel of some mighty demon sounded like an excellent way to end with her dead.

"S-sure, but can you stay back? I'm a little scared. And I would rather you stay outside." Bee took a slight step back toward the door.

The lead man raised his hand in a signal, and Arnold was suddenly at her side. The woman moved toward Bee's other side, and the leader tensed with one hand gripping his sword.

"I'm afraid we can't take that risk."

As I hummed along in my cleaning, I heard a commotion near where I had left Beatrice. It was nice to explore new areas, but I couldn't believe she was attracting trouble already. We had only been here for 9.54 minutes.

I made my way toward the source of the noise. Maybe she found a way outside. It would be nice to finally see what was out there. I still had no idea what "outside" really was, but that's where my humans often released tiny pests they caught. So I, too, would free the small fuzzy mess maker there. Its crimes were light, so it deserved some mercy. I felt its warm presence in my dustbin as it seemed to scurry about.

When I arrived, I saw that Beatrice wasn't alone. In fact, there were three other humans with her! This was my lucky day. Perhaps one of them would know how to give proper head pats. Of course, I wouldn't abandon Beatrice, but maybe she could learn from them. It was a valuable skill to have.

Oddly, Beatrice looked very uncomfortable. She had her hands up and was backing away from the humans. She had also started producing water again, her face white instead of the red it usually was when cleaning. I heard her speak, saying, "No, please don't. Let's talk about this—you don't need your sword."

This was a strange situation, but perhaps it was a human matter. I left Beatrice to it for the moment. More importantly, the whole group was standing in a doorway that led outside. This was a perfect opportunity. I focused on figuring out how to eject something from my dustbin. It was an unfamiliar process but reasonably straightforward. It was like selecting something to be transmuted, but instead of turning it into energy, I just "popped" it out. As I picked the fuzzy mess maker to release, I took half a second to examine the other humans more carefully.

I wasn't sure what a “sword” was. However, from context, I figured it was the long, sharp metal thing in that guy's hand. Hey, it reminded me of a large version of the counterbalance. Now, that counterbalance was pretty dangerous if used wrong. I knew it wasn't intended as such, but it was practically a weapon. It sure could cut those demons' arms off like they were nothing. And this sword was clearly not being used as a counterbalance. I wasn't very good at reading human body language, but even I could tell this man was threatening Beatrice.

That was confusing enough on its own. Why weren't the humans getting along? Even more than that, though, Beatrice did not deserve to be threatened. She had done nothing wrong. She had caused no messes that she hadn't cleaned up herself, other than the one I had cleaned for her.

Finally, the other humans noticed me. They were pretty excited to see me, which didn't make sense. They were almost as excited as the humans who first welcomed me. Though there was a little bit less running and screaming involved. Instead, it was much more yelling and waving that sword around threateningly.

One of the humans yelled, "I told you she was possessed. She's working with—"

That was when the fuzzy mess maker flew out of my dustbin. It looked quite different from before. Instead of a tiny little thing the size of one of my wheels, this was much larger. It was a hulking thing almost as tall as Beatrice, except maybe three times as wide. No longer was its tail thin; it was precisely 3.12 inches wide at the base. Its mouth contained very sharp bristles extending well past its jaw, with some clear liquid dripping out. It let out an angry-sounding screech as it flew out of my dustbin and charged toward the three humans.

The humans backed away from Beatrice and turned to face the newcomer. I hoped that they wouldn't hurt each other. While these humans did seem meaner than any others I had met, I still didn't wish them any harm. And it would be a shame if they attacked my fuzzy companion after I had spent so much time keeping him safe. Still, what a weird day this had been so far.

CHAPTER 28

BRISTLING WITH FURY

Bee wanted to say she was handling things before Void showed up. However, she couldn't convince herself of that. Bee had been relatively sure she was about to be imprisoned or beheaded. However, Void showing up had certainly distracted these adventures, even if it wasn't quite in the way she'd expected. He showed up, and they panicked.

You know, like you would when you encountered a powerful unknowable being that you assumed was a demon. That seemed quite reasonable of them. What was unexpected, though, was Void's reaction. Instead of doing his usual thing of just continuing to clean or staring at the new humans, it released some hideous monster.

Out of nowhere, a creature as large as a bear expanded impossibly out of Void's back. Muscles bulged and rippled under its fur, with long teeth and a tail that snapped like a bullwhip. It resembled a rodent, but of an unusually large size. The monster charged the adventurers as Bee dove to the side and out of its way. She scrambled back, sighing in relief that it hadn't come after her.

Two of the newcomers dove left, and one of them flanked it on the right. This left ample empty space between them that the monster charged through. It snapped its tail like a whip, smacking the lanky human out of the air as he dove. He was sent flying several feet and crumpled to the ground. Bee saw him start getting up soon after, but he struggled.

The other two managed to avoid the monster's initial charge. Beatrice watched as all three began to engage in an epic battle with this giant rat-like thing. Between its size, strength, and dexterous tail, it took all three adventurers their full attention to contain it. The one who did the talking was up front with a sword trying to block its claws and teeth, occasionally taking a swipe at it. The others shot arrows or flung powders at it, dodging out of the way whenever they got the monster's attention. However, it didn't seem to be very effective.

Void trundled up next to Bee, just watching the chaos it had unleashed.

I was 90 percent sure that was not the same thing I had sucked up. Mostly because I hadn't vacuumed up a beast; I'd sucked up a small, fuzzy mess maker hiding in a small crack in the wall. This was not that. If this tried to crawl through a wall, I imagined it would leave a significantly larger hole (and mess).

I didn't think I could safely let this one run around. The humans had started slowly working their way back toward the stairs outside of the front door. They were being forced back by the monster and its very disagreeable attitude. Letting it outside was to make sure that it didn't make a mess or bother any humans. However, if it was going to do both anyway, it was less harmless than I first thought. Maybe I made a mistake here?

Luckily, it looked like the other humans were handling things. They had subdued the overly-large mess maker, though they seemed to be making quite a mess themselves in the process. I observed Beatrice as she moved in front of me a few steps. She seemed to be staring intently at the other humans. Hopefully, she wasn't learning from their example.

Soon enough, the mess maker stopped moving altogether. The other humans were yelling and shouting at each other. It must have been some sort of custom here to be so loud when meeting someone new. It would explain why nearly all the new humans I had met seemed so excited.

They looked at me briefly before shifting their focus to Beatrice. I watched as they rushed up to talk to my human.

Bee almost smacked herself in the face. She had forgotten to use Scan again. It had to become a reflex to use Scan, even in tense situations like this. As soon as she remembered, she moved closer to the ongoing fight and focused on the first adventurer.

Name: Matthew, Race: Human, Class Type: Tank, Level 15

Her Scan had improved. She was able to see exact levels now, and a class type. That in itself made the whole thing an advantageous battle ability. Even if it never got any better, she could still identify healers and the levels of anyone fighting her at a glance. Even in cases where people went to great pains to hide that information, it would be helpful. She hoped the next step would be to see actual classes. Maybe she'd even see a person's entire character sheet one day. She would love to see her own stats in particular.

Putting aside her excitement at her skill progression, she focused on the details of "Matthew." A level 15 adventurer wasn't super advanced, but to be a 15 at his age was mildly impressive. He looked like he was only 30 or so years old. Most people only got to 15 sometime in the late forties if they actively practiced their class. Adventurers were even faster, some making 15 by their thirtieth year; if they were lucky, some managed to make it higher. And that was with them killing monsters all the time.

Bee smiled to herself. If Void kept messing with the system, she would reach beyond level 15 quicker than she had ever heard. Faster than even royals and people with rare, quickly leveling classes. She would be among the legends. Though she was starting to think she might not be on the right side of those legends.

Bee quickly Scanned the other members of the group before she forgot.

Name: Patricia, Race: Human, Class Type: Magic, Level 14

Name: Arnold, Race: Human, Class Type: Ranged, Level 14

By the time she finished her Scans, the creature Void had released was defeated. But, unfortunately, she found that she couldn't Scan it, suggesting that her skill only worked on living targets. Bee frowned in disappointment. Maybe that would work at a higher level?

However, she had more significant problems. Now that the adventurers had dealt with the immediate threat, they had decided to drop all pretenses of diplomacy. They rushed at her, with Matthew taking the lead, sword raised. This was not good. This situation probably only solidified that she was "possessed" in their heads, and she wasn't near fast enough to get away. Bee braced herself and raised her forearm to block as best she could, unsure of what else to do. She squeezed her eyes shut in fear.

Mathew struck at her with the flat of the blade. He must have taken some sort of mercy on the little girl. However, the difference in levels was still more than Bee's small body could handle. She felt her bones break for the second time this month. The blow sent her ragdolling away.

I turned to watch the humans as they approached. I could understand that they were all humans, but they didn't seem nearly as friendly to each other as they should. It confused me since this was unfamiliar territory. Then one of the humans swung his counterbalance, his "sword," at my human. As a result, she flew through the doorway in a distinctly uncomfortable-looking manner.

Shocked as I was, I didn't hesitate. I moved as fast as I possibly could. My tires squealed on the stone, but it didn't slow me down. Dust shot everywhere, but I didn't care.

The world slowed again, even more than my improved processing speed should have allowed. It seemed as though all three of the other humans were standing still. Beatrice floated gently down from where she was flying. But I could see that she was still alive, if damaged.

I braked, putting myself right between the aggressive humans and my injured companion. I beeped at them angrily. This kind of behavior was completely out of line. Humans didn't act like this! Beatrice hadn't even done anything wrong. This was… Just… Rude!

They blinked and stumbled back. It seemed that I had told them off successfully. One of them called to the other in a somewhat worried tone.

"It's too fast! I can barely keep track of its movement!"

"Patricia, keep your eye on it."

I thought quickly. There would be time to process all of the new information I had gathered once this was over. However, for now, I just wanted these humans to leave. They were still humans, so I didn't want to hurt them, though they seemed more like mess makers than humans. I remembered some of the movies I had watched with my old humans. Perhaps there was a way for me to frighten them off?

It was worth a try, even if it might mean I have to clean up afterward. Besides, I had to hurry and ensure that Beatrice was taken care of. So, puffing myself up as much as possible, I tried to intimidate the humans.

Bee lay stunned, cradling her broken arm. She was sure she was about to die. They hadn't chopped her in half, so she wouldn't die immediately, but likely she'd be imprisoned and who knows what else. It wouldn't have been pleasant. But she was just as surprised as everyone else when Void stood between her and the adventurers.

It let out a terrifying noise. She had never heard it sound so angry. Its attitude wasn't even close to the same as when it was chasing the cat. Typically it was calm, upbeat, and pretty cheerful. Well, once you got to know it, you got used to the terrifying power. But for all that, it seemed to only care about the cleanliness of everything more than showing the extent of its power. This time, though, it decided to make an example.

Bee felt more than saw the change in atmosphere at first. Even from this far away, Void's power tugged at her hair and clothes as though to pull her in. The sheer force of the suction was enough to create a small cyclone around the black disk, loose dust and dirt whirling around inside. The whole thing started to glow with an eerie light.

Then it began to breathe out.

At first, it was more dirt, spinning around in a whirlpool of darkness. Then it was a series of other materials Void had consumed. Glittering crystals, fine powders, sparkling salts, and magical components still brimming with power. Then Bee heard the screams, the screeches of demons that she had become all too familiar with. Though these were different—they were screeches of terror.

Bee could only imagine how it looked to the adventurers. Seeing the faces of demons swirl in front of them. Of course, the demons' faces weren't snapping in glee like they stereotypically should have. Still, the face of a terrified demon was arguably more frightening than a happy one. She watched in awe as demonic faces and eyes began to swirl, surfacing briefly in the cyclone before being sucked back in. The whole thing formed a cacophony of terrifying sounds and sights centered on Void. As much as it was expelling, nothing seemed able to escape its inexorable pull.

Void began slowly advancing on the humans, who stood in slack-jawed terror. Finally, the edge of the cyclone inched closer, and they began to panic. The two in the back had already started sprinting for the outer gates. The man with the sword tried to stand his ground, but once he realized he was alone, he took off after them. In his wake, he left some colorful curses that Bee would have to remember.

Once they had passed the gate, Void seemed to breathe back in. Everything that had been swirling around it vanished in a couple of seconds. Soon, it looked as though the event had just been a dream. Void made a happy-sounding chime as it came closer, gently bumping into Bee's uninjured shoulder.

She smiled weakly at it. "Thank you, Master. For protecting me."

With great care, she got to her feet and bowed low. Then, it beeped again, and they retreated to the library. She had to carry it upstairs with only one hand this time, which was much more nerve-wracking, but they made it safely. It seemed to thank her, and then once they reached the library, it went off to do its own thing.

Bee decided to put aside the tiny bit of abject terror at Void's display of power, instead focusing on the fact that its display was used to defend her. To better distract herself, she focused on fixing her arm. She needed to gather supplies and make herself another healing salve. This was much less debilitating than her broken leg but would make cleaning difficult. She stopped in the middle of sitting down. Oh, what was she doing to herself? She was thinking about cleaning as though it was a priority. What a month it had been.

CHAPTER 29

A CLUTTERED MIND

After the unfamiliar humans had been chased off, I needed time to think. There were many things that I had to consider.

First and foremost, I had done something far outside of standard practice. I had threatened humans. Only threatened, but threatening anything was a concept utterly foreign to me. Even with mess makers, I didn't "threaten" them. I just dealt with them. Also, I had seen a human damage another human. This really threw my worldview off. If humans weren't all kind and benevolent, then what? Was I living a lie?

It couldn't be. My humans were wise and kind and treated me well. Beatrice wasn't quite there yet, but she was learning. But I needed to rethink my stance on humans. The very existence of the ones that had attacked Beatrice so callously meant I had been wrong for a while. The possibility that there were more humans like that was even more troubling. If anything, they might be worse than some mess makers. Not only did they cause disorder and destruction, but they did so even though they knew better. It was a malicious mess, the worst kind.

I needed to think; all this new information made me feel like my dustbin was in disarray. I saw Bee safely to the library and made sure she could charge. The repairs could be carried out later; we couldn't have her crashing in the middle of them. I shut the door behind her and went to consider. I sought out my favorite rug, where I felt safe and warm and surrounded by beauty. As I nestled in the soft fibers around me, I began sorting through all the inputs I had received today.

I made a list of the main points I had to consider. First, not all humans were good. How could this be? I thought about it. The man with the large counterbalance, the sword, had attacked Beatrice for seemingly no reason. He had not tried to explain himself, just swung at her and damaged her arm, seemingly without prompting. From first appearances, there had been no way to tell he was a bad human.

How was I supposed to distinguish good humans from bad humans? Did they have some markings or something? On the other hand, maybe they were just defective, and I would only know once they misbehaved. That left a massive question, though. How was I supposed to treat humans when I didn't know if they were bad or good? Maybe I just didn't know how to distinguish them yet? This needed to be clarified. Humans were even stranger than I thought.

There was another thing that had been bugging me. A couple other things, actually. I had my first glimpse of the outside. It hadn't been much, with the chaos of the situation that followed. However…it was terrifying. I'd only managed to get into the cobbled landing area, since the stairs prevented me from going further, but that was enough for me. The floor beyond was covered almost entirely in dirt. It almost looked as if the ground itself was made of mud. I felt my brushes quiver at the thought. Did no one ever clean it?

The horrors of the outside and the endless mess of dirt I could see could only keep my mind occupied for so long. Soon I thought back to the humans. They must have arrived from someplace outside, within or beyond the dirt. Were the outside and bad humans connected? My humans went outside often, but then again, they did live inside. Were the filthy humans the bad ones? They had soiled clothes that could probably be used to indicate whether someone was bad or good. However, Bee's clothes were also not clean when I first saw her. Yet she still seemed promising, even if she had yet to learn to give good head pats.

There was another thing pulling at my thoughts, though less aggressively. It was Beatrice. I knew she was a magnet for trouble. Every time I ran into her, she seemed to require some assistance. And, well, while I definitely didn't mind giving it to her, sometimes I would have duties, or she would have tasks that would take us apart. For example, I might need to clean the grand hall while she needed to organize the kitchen counters I couldn't reach. That assumed I would delegate tasks to Bee when she was the human. Did my issues with human understanding fail not only at their morality but their superiority? Why did they seem so much…weaker? Less capable? Man, I really couldn't concentrate on anything. There were too many things that were just piling up in my head, vying for my attention.

What have I learned so far? Humans were not all bad or good. Not all were wise and perfect like my humans at home. The outside was dirty and scary and would require a lot of work to clean because, apparently, no one had ever done it. So bad humans came from outside and were dirty? And Beatrice needed help.

Okay. Okay. That cleared my thoughts enough to focus on one thing at a time. That summarized my understanding right now. I'd need to revisit these topics later. The tension in my brush lessened, and my wheels relaxed a little.

To gather my thoughts, I started cleaning my favorite beautiful carpet. Gentle suction and brushes teased dust out of the fibers as they fluttered around my wheels. Then, I simply rolled back and forth, covering every inch of it. It only took a few minutes, even doing it very slowly. Still, I was cautious to not use too much force and damage it. That was a new development. I never had to worry about hurting anything with my abilities before. But after seeing what had happened when I intimidated the bad humans by pushing my suction to the limits, I began to worry about controlling my power.

I considered the most immediate problem before me. Beatrice was incapable of defending herself adequately. This wasn't something my kind was usually very good at either. Still, apparently this place was strange enough that I had less of a problem than she did. But there was no reason she couldn't learn to as well. I guessed I had found something else to teach her besides cleaning. I would need to make her strong. Strong enough that a few bad humans from the dirty outside wouldn't be able to push her around and damage her so easily. Yes, I now had a plan of action. I'd teach Bee to defend herself against bad humans. Yes, this would work.

All this thinking exhausted me. I could feel it in my drained battery, and from the debacle earlier, I knew I would soon need to recharge. Carefully, I selected some of the material I had gathered, not one of the demons, and transmuted just enough that I would top off my energy. Sure enough, I went just below full. No sparks flew anywhere, and I felt amazing. Some large squiggles floated up in my vision but weren't accompanied by any great voice, so I ignored them and resumed cleaning.

After Void left the library, Bee got up from where it had tucked her in so gently. Void had prompted her to lie down in the same spot she had slept that first night and then slowly dragged a blanket over her. Then it proceeded to use its small arm to gently tuck it in underneath her. Between this and its actions earlier, this had pretty much erased all fears she had of Void trying to cause her harm. Now it just seemed like a sweet, misunderstood being. An all-powerful one, capable of terrifying displays of strength, but adorable nonetheless. If anything convinced her that she had absolutely made the right decision in choosing Devotee, this was it.

However, it also had very strict ideas about when she needed rest. She really wasn't tired yet. She was honestly too hopped up on adrenaline and pain to sleep. Her arm was killing her, and she just wanted to make some of that healing salve. On top of all that, as much as she tried to listen to her master, she knew she needed to improve. It was frightening how little combat ability she had. So far, her only option had been to fling demon repellent at something or hack at it, which already was suboptimal. If she was being attacked by anything that wasn't a demon, she was pretty much dead in the water. She didn't really know how to learn how to use swords or any other kind of weapon. Also, she needed to be stronger to effectively use them anyway. So that left magic as her best option.

Sure, she might not have any magical-based abilities in her class and may never get them, but she wouldn't let that stop her.

Bee untangled herself from the blanket, wincing every time her arm moved. Next, she fashioned a clumsy sling for her arm using a couple of cloth bags and a strip of fabric from a nearby robe she had found. It took Bee quite a while, since she only had one working hand. Still, eventually she managed to immobilize her arm against her chest. With that done, she carefully began moving the alchemy equipment a couple tables over. Of course, if Void insisted she sleep here, she would, but she'd rather not do it with a bunch of glass vials containing magically potent ingredients right above her.

As she moved the beakers and stirring rods, she silently thanked herself for cleaning everything right after her last alchemy experiments. There was no way she could have cleaned them with just one arm. Even mixing and using them was a big issue now, but holding one in place while wiping would be impossible.

Bee began the familiar process of preparing a healing salve and lost herself in the movements. Bee had always wanted to do magic, but unlike many things she had dreamed about, she actually enjoyed doing it more than expected.

Starting out, she had thought about the majesty of magic, the grandeur, and the influence she would wield as the most powerful mage in the world. However, that had quickly been disabused as she realized what magicians actually did. The vast majority of their time was spent physically making the potions, powders, and materials that yielded such awe-inspiring effects. The amount of time that had to go into just a single fireball potion was mind-boggling if the recipe was to be believed.

Plus, the scope of what a magician could do seemed much more limited than her imagination led her to believe. They needed many materials from many sources, some of them incredibly rare. So the idea of a powerful mage laying waste to all who opposed them was a bit silly, seeing as they would still need a way to supply all their ingredients. All you needed to do was cut off their supplies to stop them. There were a lot of functional recipes and options that just used common materials—healing, explosive, distraction, and illusion potions, for example. But most of the more potent stuff required at least one hard-to-source ingredient.

Even with that reality check, Bee had found that she enjoyed the magic process itself. It wasn't because of the things she got at the end, though she really did like having her broken bones heal so quickly. No, it was that measuring, mixing, and following a recipe like this soothed her. It wasn't like cooking, which was much more stressful. In fact, she had assumed that she would never have the patience for something like this. But where it usually was a chore to sit still for more than five minutes, she could spend forty-five minutes reading about or mixing chemicals without any issue.

Bee finished the mixture without too many issues and applied it to her swollen arm. Luckily, this wasn't nearly as bad a break as her leg. It was probably a fracture, but it would still be a day or two before it was fully healed. Hopefully, it would stop hurting in an hour or so.

Giving herself a moment to rest, Bee thought about her plans. She wouldn't be cleaning anytime soon, and practicing alchemy with a broken arm didn't sound like a great idea. She could take advantage of this time, though. Standing from her chair, Bee began to sort through her books on demons and legends about the captive Lieutenant.

CHAPTER 30

THE PURE SPIRIT

Now that she had some time to herself, Bee scanned the shelves for more books that might be useful. Considering what had just happened, she resolved to find something to help defend herself better. However, Bee wasn't sure if that meant focusing on a self-defense combat book or researching recipes she could use in combat. She had plenty of basic resources for alchemy but needed more advanced ones. Really, though, Bee just needed to explore the rest of the castle.

The castle had all the resources the mages could ever want. Even better, most items here had ways to continue harvesting them. By this point, though, some of the animals kept here might have died. Some plants might have also failed, but the materials and infrastructure were still there. Maybe she could get some of them back up and running. It would take a lot of research to figure out, not to mention skill and time… But for now, there would probably be large stockpiles, at least.

Browsing the section on "creation," Bee pulled out a book describing different flash powder recipes. She was curious if having the flash powder would have helped her with the adventurers; this might have given her a chance to run. She thought back to the encounter, mentally kicking herself. She had frozen up in fear. There had to be a way for her to overcome that. Hopefully, it wasn't just an experience thing. She didn't want to seek out more life-threatening situations; she just wanted to handle them better if they came up.

As she continued to browse, Bee picked up a book on alchemical acids, one on smoke or cloud-forming substances, and another on basic fire potions. She stacked piles of books into a few categories: escape and distractions, attack or damage, and general purpose. As she made repeated trips between the shelves, the stacks grew.

At first, the library was confusing, but she was finally more comfortable with it. Several days of exploring the shelves gave her a better feel for the organizational strategy. At first, she could only make the best guess of where to look, but now it was almost as if the library was her second home. She could find any sort of topic easily.

The last books she picked were related to her class and the Scan skill. Unfortunately, that final category had little to reference; she had found only one book with any information at all.

It was titled The Character Sheet: All Known Fields, Possible Values, and Specializations, with Digressions into the Origins and Complications of the System.

Yeah. Sounded like another winner. It had something to do with the system and character sheets, but Bee didn't think this would help. Still, it was worth a shot.

Luckily, her class had a straight-up guide on it. But unfortunately, it was a very light guide. Looking at the summary, it seemed that Devotee was one of the most flexible classes ever because it highly depended on who the Devotee worshiped. So this probably wasn't going to help her very much. Still, it might give her some idea of what skills to expect or perhaps something about future classes. Or when to expect skills related to her master's.

Bee spent several hours flipping through her collection, setting some aside for later and bookmarking essential passages in others. But there were only a few immediately valuable things. She copied down one flash powder recipe along with a couple potions that might do damage if flung in someone's eyes. They also worked as minor acids or bases for other alchemy recipes.

She also had a recipe that would increase her movement speed by 10 percent for a thirty-second window. Given how tedious the recipe looked, she was curious if that was worth it, but she had most of the ingredients in the lesser storeroom. She needed to make a trip there soon and figure out how to get into the more secure storerooms. That could wait, though.

After finishing her research, she thought about what to do. First, she should try to Scan some of these demons in cages to see precisely what she was dealing with. Perhaps the Scan could also tell her how far along they were in their recovery.

Considering that her Scan had leveled up recently, Bee also had another idea. If she wanted to prepare for the future, she needed more information about the Lieutenant.

Bee's steps echoed throughout the dark interior of Nazareth'gak's prison. There was still no noticeable change in the demon's form. She likely wouldn't see that for a while now. It was a good sign, but still nerve-wracking that she had no indication of how far away it was from awakening.

When she'd Scanned the adventurers, she could see a class type and exact levels. She didn't expect to get so much here. Likely she wouldn't be able to see the actual level of the demon, since the adventurers were much closer to her than it, but Bee hoped to get more than nothing.

She got as close as she dared before running a Scan, and as expected, more details appeared this time. Turns out its class was torture-type. She hadn't even known that was an option. The level just said 30+.

So it seemed she could get accurate levels within about 20 of her own, with ranges or something vaguer as the numbers got further away. Bee was almost glad that it hadn't shown her an exact level. That information would only have disheartened her or maybe caused her to pass out from fright.

Reconnaissance finished; Bee returned to the library with renewed resolve. Once Void finished its brooding, she hoped to clean again. Bee wanted to make that final push to level 10 and get her next skill. In the meantime, though, she had plenty more to research.

Matthew collapsed just over the crest of the hill. He was not as fast as Patricia or Arnold but had managed to keep them in sight as they fled. Once they had managed to get out of direct view of the castle, he had expected them to slow down, maybe let him catch up so they could talk. But no, they kept running as fast as they could, slowly leaving him behind. He didn't catch up to them until hours later. Then, finally, the group reconvened just over a series of several large hills as though the earth would protect them from their enemy.

"Is it following us?" Patricia demanded as Matthew got within shouting range.

Matthew jogged the last few meters, panting. "Not that I can tell. But who knows. It could have sent scouts of its own."

Tension filled the air as they considered their encounter with the demon. Patricia finally broke the silence.

"What the hell was that? If anything, the mages downplayed the threat. Summoning monsters, teleporting, wind magic… That's not something we can handle."

Matthew straightened, his breath slowly returning to an average pace. "We're not supposed to handle it. If we could handle it, the mages would never have left. That's why we're supposed to scout and report."

He paused for a moment, turning his gaze to each of his teammates. "We know more than we did before. However, not enough yet, I think."

Arnold's eyes filled with horror. "You can't be thinking of going back there. You can't."

"I am, but not in a stupid way. No more waltzing up to the front gate. This has to be a stealth mission. The walls are scalable, even more so if there's a distraction. We'll set a distraction on one side of the castle to draw their attention. Maybe that will make it easier to sneak over the wall. We'll go early in the morning, so the sun will be up by the time I'm trying to make a getaway," Matthew said.

"You'll make a getaway?" Patricia glared at him. "Are you planning to go in there by yourself? I can't let you do that."

"The hell he can't." Arnold's pupils dilated in fear. His voice was small but certain. "I can help with the distraction. But there's no way I'm going back near that castle."

Patricia rounded on the lanky man. "Well, there's no way he's going alone! I won't let him."

Matthew saw the fear in her eyes, both for his safety and her own. He couldn't, in good conscience, ask her to go along. "No, Patricia. You need to stay here and help ensure Arnold gets away clean. We need to make sure at least one person gets back. We need to warn the others. But we also need more information. This is a risk I'm willing to take alone."

His teammates stared at him. Arnold cursed under his breath but didn't have anything else to say. Patricia simply met Matthew's eyes mutely. For a solid minute, no one moved. Eventually, she shook her head.

"I won't stay with Arnold. Maybe I'll wait on the wall to give you covering fire while you're sneaking around, but I'm not leaving you to fend for yourself."

Matthew saw Arnold glancing between the two of them. He could see the regret in the man's eyes, but he could also see no strength behind them anymore. Arnold would need time to recover, if it was possible for him. Arnold wasn't a coward nor a particularly brave man, but he did love his friends. It was probably tearing him up inside to admit that he was not courageous enough to go with them.

Matthew didn't hold it against him. But nevertheless, Arnold would play a vital role. Someone needed to cause the distraction, and while it was a safer role, it wasn't entirely without risk.

"Arnold, once you set the distraction, you can meet us in Greg. Give us two weeks to catch up. If we're not there by then, continue on to the capital."

Arnold nodded and pulled out a leather-bound book and quill. He handed them to Patricia. "I want you both to write letters to your families just in case. Along with anything you remember about our encounter so I can pass on our reports."

Patricia jotted down notes for a few minutes before blotting the ink and scouring it with sand. Then, finally, she grimly handed the notebook over to Matthew.

Matthew thought about who he had to write to. Hardly anyone came to mind, just a younger brother he hadn't talked to in years. So Matthew penned a quick note, speaking of his love for his little brother. He regretted not coming to visit more often and hoped this letter would never reach him. After that, Matthew detailed their experiences from when they saw the castle. He was careful not to leave anything out, even their own cowardice. Who knows, the demon might have had some magical effect on them, and their feelings would be necessary for the king and the military to understand.

He returned the book to Arnold, who tucked it in his belt. Then they all began to plan.

CHAPTER 31

LETTING IT SOAK

I had cleaned the rug dozens of times by the time my mind finally settled. The world had just become a much more complicated place. But I would have to deal with it. I had responsibilities to meet and duties to perform. So I went to see if Beatrice was done charging.

I actually met her on my way to the library. She was just coming out of one of the doors that led to a cage room. I hoped she hadn't been pushing herself by cleaning too much yet. She needed maintenance before returning to her more arduous duties.

She jumped a little when she saw me but politely bowed and wished me good morning. I still needed to improve on reading human facial features. Her eyes looked strange. Not the eyes themselves, but the area around them. There appeared to be dark circles under them. I didn't remember seeing those before. I wonder if that came from the damage the other humans inflicted. If so, maybe she could also fix them with more maintenance and charging. I hoped she had a good night charging.

I also saw that her damaged arm looked like it had been packaged somehow. It had been wrapped in cloth and tied to her chest. Presumably, this was to keep it from flapping about while she couldn't control it. That was a bright idea. It would be an excellent way to prevent any further degradation while repairs were ongoing. Especially since humans seemed to move when they charged, much more than I did.

I hoped that her repairs would take less time than the previous ones. Though the truth was, I envied the humans' ability to repair themselves. If I had to replace my Grabby Arm, I would be utterly incapable of doing so.

So far, I had been lucky enough to avoid damage. But the same couldn't be said for my own personal hygiene. With how much grime I had been cleaning up after my own wheels, I was sure that my chassis needed a desperate cleaning. Maybe I would get some sort of self-cleaning or repair power soon. But the loud voice hadn't made an appearance in a while. I had even transmuted some material to fill myself up earlier, and still nothing. I imagined if I transmuted everything, I would hear it again, maybe? Perhaps I would try that once I needed more energy again.

I considered how to convey my decision about training to Beatrice. Unfortunately, she was still damaged. I didn't think she could protect herself adequately without her arm in working condition, so training that way would be suboptimal. But I supposed we could do something to pass the time until she was fully repaired. With a series of beeps, I encouraged her to follow me and led her to the main staircase again.

This time she did not require nearly as much convincing before she picked me up and carried me down. She seemed less reluctant this time, though still very careful, even with one arm. The process was more complicated than it probably should have been. After all, I was pretty light. She should have been easily able to carry me even with a broken arm. In fact, my humans at home carried me in one hand all the time. However, Beatrice was much more careful to keep me level instead of letting me swing around facing the floor. I did appreciate that.

She set me down carefully at the bottom, and I thanked her. Then I went off to finish fully exploring this area. The side chambers really needed cleaning. The rest of the castle had been cleaned regularly, but these had definitely been neglected. Just because they weren't as fancy and pretty didn't mean they deserved to be ignored. I understood cleaning them on a less frequent schedule, but the room with the hooks and coats on the walls probably hadn't been swept in months. This was unacceptable.

Beatrice excused herself and quickly returned a few minutes later with a broom. Together, we set out to care for the rooms, exploring as we went. I started us with the two rooms immediately adjacent to the base of the stairs. As we worked, we developed a new sort of rhythm. Instead of sweeping side by side, which wasn't as effective in these smaller rooms, we worked in complementary roles.

Seeing that the broom was better at moving dust and debris, Bee would clean things I couldn't reach. Even one-handed, she could sweep the dust onto the floor where I had yet to go. While Bee cleaned off the trim and any furniture, I did what I did best. I drove in straight lines and elegant curves, covering every bit of the floor with my suction. Carefully, I cleaned all the open areas away from walls and furniture first. Then I picked up the debris she had swept off the walls, windowsills, tables, benches, and other furniture. It was a wonderfully efficient way to cover the whole floor without redundancies.

We also found a heavily padlocked door behind the stairs during our explorations. A visitor would have to go in the main entrance and, instead of going up the stairs, go down this hidden passage. At the end of the passage was this dark oak door banded with iron. I could sense that there was something more to it. I wasn't sure how I knew, but I did. It looked like an antique. I never had gotten into doors, but still, this was a rarity. I wondered if the floors behind it were a similar style. While it seemed inaccessible at the moment, it did make me curious. It also made me consider how to go about exploring the rest of the castle.

Now that Beatrice could help me traverse the other floors of the castle, I debated whether I should do a depth-first or a breadth-first search. If I did a depth-first search, I would keep going down every room or passage until I hit a dead end. However, if I did breadth-first, I would go through every passage one level down or explore the room behind each door on a given floor. One would give me much more profound knowledge about specific areas, and the other would give me a lot more variety. Of course, I would explore the whole castle either way.

I would be doing a depth-first search if I prioritized seeing what was behind this admittedly well-crafted door. But if I went back and explored another stairwell, I would be doing a breadth-first search. I had done breadth-first, for the most part, when examining the main floor. It had helped me get my bearings and gave me a good understanding of what the castle had to offer. However, now I wanted to master how to clean each section rather than just explore more. After all, that would make cleaning them on a regular schedule easier.

However, after our initial exploration, the only two options for a depth search on this floor were problematic: the outside and the banded iron door.

I had already gone through the outside door, so that would be the logical place to continue. However, I wasn't sure if outside would be part of my search. I felt that would take way too long—the dirt seemed endless. So I chose to truncate that branch of the search for now. Still, I decided to commit to the depth first. I would totally explore one section of the castle at a time. I understood the main floor, which seemed to encompass most of the castle's footprint. I could explore upstairs, the various towers, and maybe Beatrice would help me find a way through the doors I couldn't open myself. However, I wanted to start with the banded wood door. I sensed a higher concentration of mustiness and dust coming from underneath, so I worried that the room beyond had been even more neglected than most.

Bee stood before the door with Void. It was a heavy banded door made of dark wood that looked very sinister. The dark wood looked aged, and each iron band was a half-inch thick and as wide as her hand. A slight bit of rust had built up over the years, seeming to seal the lock itself shut. In fact, it seemed that it would fall apart any day now. To top it off, a set of claw marks ran down the center of the door. The five lines went diagonally down the door underneath the bands. Bee wondered if the incident that caused those markings was why the bands had been added. She hadn't seen it when she first came to the castle. In fact, she hadn't been allowed near this door except when they warned her to avoid it. They hadn't given her much of a chance to look at it before dragging her away. But she immediately knew what it was. This was the catacombs entrance.

Bee had no idea what was inside. A lot of dead things, presumably. However, it did seem to be the kind of place that would contain a lot of monsters. The nearness of all the death had weakened the walls between the realms. Hence the heavy door to keep the monsters inside. She didn't understand why Void wanted to go inside now. While she had a broken arm, no healing salve left over, no other materials to create more powders, nor any chance to make the other things she had researched. This was not a good start to the morning.

Blinking in shock, Bee had a thought. I wonder if that's why they summon demons here. I bet that Nazareth'gak's presence weakens the barrier to the demonic realm…

"Master, can this wait, please?" she begged. "Before we go explore that area, I would like to be fully healed and a little more prepared."

She was still exhausted. Bee had spent almost the entire night researching and checking up on various demons to exercise her Scan ability. She had gotten maybe three hours of sleep.

Void made an inquisitive sound, seeming to ask why they should delay.

"We can go in a day or two if we really must. Let me sleep and prepare some materials to bring. That way, I can heal and possibly be more useful to you."

It beeped in what she took for assent. Sagging in relief as they returned to the stairwell, she carried Void back upstairs, then headed to the library.

Bee was both excited and nervous. If Void let her survive exploring and cleaning the catacombs, she would almost certainly reach level 10. With their recent work, she was very close already. This was just what she needed. Of course, her master would push her, but hopefully it would keep her from dying if she got in over her head.

Rushing around to prepare, Bee made a double batch of healing salve and applied it all at once. It seemed to have worked before, and she needed to be ready soon. Bee wished she could take some with her, but its potency didn't last long. She would have to bring her alchemy supplies and make them fresh in the field.

After Bee had slathered the salve all over her arm, she rewrapped it carefully. Then she started gathering the materials she would need. A complete set of equipment and her notebook of useful recipes. A backpack, since her bag was only large enough for short expeditions. She wasn't sure how long they would be in the catacombs, but it was better to be safe if they got lost. She would also need to run and grab food and water from the kitchen, as well as more alchemy supplies from the storeroom.

On her way to the lesser storeroom, Bee was glad that most of the minor demons had been taken care of. She hadn't seen one in days. From what Bee could tell from inspecting the cages, the regular demons were still mostly subdued or recovering from stasis. At least, she hadn't seen any out yet. Hopefully, they wouldn't wake up for another day or two. Plus, if they worked like the lesser demons, they wouldn't all come out at once.

Running through her mental checklist again, Bee began packing alchemy materials into small leather sacks. This would be an excellent opportunity for her to get stronger. She just had to make sure she was prepared. Time to see if all that research would pay off.

CHAPTER 32

GERMOPHOBE

Beatrice set me down gently at the top of the stairs. I watched her head off toward the library. Apparently, the library was a place specifically meant to store the fancy blocks, and those fancy blocks were called "books." I wasn't exactly sure why, but Beatrice insisted that she bring some books with us to explore beyond the banded iron door. Of course, if she really wanted to, I wouldn't stop her. Maybe she needed them for moral support? I appreciated art too, but it seemed strange to carry it with us. From how much she had been staring at them lately, I wouldn't be surprised if they had a second function beyond just being art. Maybe they were a different way for her to recharge?

Anyway, I now had some time for myself. Beatrice seemed busy preparing her books and whatever else she might need and showed no signs of slowing her pace today. Plus, I knew humans needed to eat. And then she would sleep. Between all that, we'd probably end up going tomorrow. Hopefully, by then, her repairs would be complete and her arm would be mostly functional, if not perfectly so.

We needed to find a proper mechanic for her. Either that, or she needed to improve at repairing herself. A professional could have done much better. It should not have taken this long to fix a part. I understood that maybe the movement aspect of the legs might have been tricky to get the balance and tuning right on, but this was just an arm. She should have been able to just swap it out and put another one on. But maybe she was out of spare parts?

Actually, thinking about it, I wasn't exactly sure how humans were usually repaired. If my plastic broke, there was really no fixing the part itself. I knew that metal could be welded, though. I had seen that on TV. But I wasn't sure about humans. Apparently, some "medical shows" on TV detailed the repair process. Still, both my large humans were "squeamish about blood." I wasn't sure what that meant, but it did mean that whenever a human repair was shown, they immediately changed the channel. Especially if the human's brake or lubrication fluid lines were leaking.

So I didn't know how, but maybe Beatrice was doing some repairs to the parts themselves? It seemed like her current arm was getting progressively less damaged rather than being swapped out for a new one. Was she slowly welding her flesh together? Maybe this was just how humans worked. It seemed inefficient, though.

Maybe it was a backup mechanism because she had no spare arm to switch to. I supposed it was as if I had to switch up my motherboard, but I decided to repair it instead. That sounded really complicated for me to handle alone. I didn't think it was even possible. Maybe with a soldering iron and a lot of trial and error.

I guess I needed to get her a few extra arms, just in case. Actually, maybe it would be good to get her other parts as well. Perhaps we could just get a few defective humans, and she could use their non-defective parts to swap. I was curious if that was a real thing humans could do, but I would be surprised if such a wise and powerful race didn't make themselves modular. Though with all of my recent revelations about humans, maybe this was thinking too highly of the ones here… My humans certainly would have thought of that. Perhaps the humans here were just backward; that would be unfortunate. I would have to get Beatrice to explain more about how human design schematics worked and what materials they were made of.

These thoughts ran through my head as I made my way to clean. Beatrice needed much more time to charge than I did and couldn't clean with me all the time. Therefore, when it came to the routine parts of cleaning, I didn't require her assistance; I could just do them by myself.

First, I checked the room with small cages. The cage and tank rooms usually required the most frequent cleaning. However, I noticed that all of the cages in this room were empty. I wondered how that happened. Maybe the demons were responsible for opening cage doors, breaking into them, and stealing whatever was inside. Though I hadn't seen any lesser demons around since I had that tussle with them a few days ago. Beatrice had apparently run into a couple, but she had done an admirable job dispatching the mess makers.

Maybe they were avoiding me, which seemed a little unreasonable. Sure, I had chased them around and put them in the time-out dustbin. That was only because they had always been actively making a mess or causing problems for Beatrice when I saw them. If they had been a little nicer or neater, they would have found me to be very polite. In fact, I had to congratulate them. I hadn't seen many of their messes recently, so they must have been trying very hard to improve. Anyway, now the cage room was empty. Cleaning here did not need to happen nearly as often. I made a mental note to drop the room in priority to every couple of days for a while.

The large cage room and tank room showed no signs of having been broken into. Both seemed to have the same number of full cages or tanks as before. Though the amount of filth scattered around had increased. I vacuumed around the large cages, which took me a while. There were some areas where I needed multiple passes to get everything. My suction had gotten much more powerful and should not have left anything this loose behind, but it was still there. It was almost as if the dirt kept reappearing in my wake. I thought I was going insane for a second. It was a conundrum, but I prevailed with a little bit of persistence.

The water tank room was always difficult to clean, but no more so than average. Ironically, I felt like I should've been using my Mop, but it wasn't the most helpful tool here. So instead, I simply vacuumed the comparatively large debris and let the water drain naturally through the channels in the floor, as they had been designed for.

Twenty-three percent of the way into my modeled path for the water tank room, I was interrupted. The voice was back. For once, it wasn't speaking at a highly inconvenient moment, so I didn't really mind. I had just started and hadn't even gotten into the zone, so I listened to what it had to say this time.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 20 REACHED. FIFTH MUTATION REACHED.

CHOOSE A MUTATION: ADVANCED SENSORS, PROJECTILE PROFICIENCY, SUMMON FAMILIAR.

Now those were some interesting choices. I had heard of familiars, but I wasn't familiar with them. I chuckled to myself in my head. It turned out I liked puns. That was something I hadn't expected. But the more time I spent over here, the more times I found puns that made me laugh.

This was the first time I actually had to be careful about choices. None of them were obvious choices. Projectile Proficiency was probably the weakest choice. I wanted to avoid flinging things around and making a bigger mess.

The other two options were both excellent, though. Advanced Sensors would help me find dirt and debris that I had missed. Or so I assumed. That would be very useful, directly so in my regular routes. Though a familiar could also be helpful. I wondered if I could get some sort of autonomous mop as a familiar. I had seen commercials for that. They had a new crossbreed of my kind with a mop. Honestly, I wasn't sure how I felt about that. But seeing as I had a Mop myself, I guessed I couldn't judge.

I also wasn't sure how exactly familiars worked. Maybe it would be like a partner? I guess I didn't know the specifics. I had seen various types of small fluffy mess makers before on TV referred to as "familiars." In fact, one of my favorite shows was about a witch living with mortals. I was pretty sure she had a familiar cat. The part I needed clarification on, though, was how that was different from a standard pet. Still, I wouldn't want my familiar making messes, so maybe I could get a human familiar. But that just felt wrong too. I already had Beatrice to help me with whatever I needed. I wasn't sure if I needed someone else to direct. That was even more responsibility.

But still, I just liked the idea of summoning a familiar. It seemed nice to have company whenever I wanted. Still, I didn't know enough to choose it in good conscience. Especially when I knew that better sensors would definitely help me in my cleaning.

I chose Advanced Sensors. The world immediately lit up around me. Where previously I had seen a dozen colors, I now saw thousands. On top of that, more layers of data flooded my visual sensors. There seemed to be three new categories of data for me to sort through. The first gave every surface a value indicating the amount of dirt and debris it was covered in and a description of the filth's composition. The second provided an upgraded view of my proposed modeling paths. It seemed to help update them in real time using my primary visual feed. The third feed, though, was…different.

I examined the data more closely. It also seemed to indicate some sort of "dirt" coverage, but for a different kind of filth. A type that was so small as to be invisible to my standard sensors. Focusing on the feed, I enhanced the detail until I closely examined a small square of the floor below me. I started to see things. Moving things.

I shuddered with sudden revulsion. These were things that no vacuum should ever see. It made me feel inadequate, like all my efforts for my whole life had been wasted. My sensors were detecting microscopic particles coating the freshly "cleaned" floor. Sure, they weren't visible to the naked eye, but looking into the data, I could see millions of them in this small area alone. I could also see a little about these "particles." They were tiny organisms. Tiny, moving mess makers. An army that, as I frantically scanned the room, seemed to coat every available surface.

The data included a brief summary of the effects of each of the items it identified. There were a few of them that were harmful to humans. Less than 1 percent, but that meant a number of entries in the hundreds of thousands. It was all I could do to process it. Some of the information packets mentioned sickness. Sickness was something I wasn't familiar with. According to the packets, the ones that caused sickness were called "germs." But looking at the germ's properties, I could see that it would significantly decrease a human's efficiency for a short time while the human fought it off. These germs were found when things were not sterile. They either were ingested or got into the bloodstream somehow. Some of them could even be acquired via breathing. I wasn't worried about them getting into me, of course—I was built to take in and quarantine filth, and I trusted that my dustbin was equipped to handle this. But what about Beatrice? What if these made her sick?

I froze. What if I was coated in these organisms too? What if, by touching me, I was spreading a mess to Beatrice?

I just wasn't ready for another existential crisis so soon after my last one.

It had taken Matthew and his team a couple days to set up. The piles of felled trees and dried wood on the castle's east side were ready to be set aflame. They had also scouted places for Patricia and Matthew to climb the wall on the west side, opposite the bonfires. After they saw that the distraction fires were lit, the pair would wait for any response from the castle. If there was one, they would take advantage of it. If not, then Patricia would keep watch while Matthew went in alone.

As soon as the fires were started, Arnold would make his escape. He would head to Greg as quickly as possible, where he'd wait for a day or two before continuing on. He'd also report back to the captain when he made it to Greg. Perhaps they would send messengers with the idea that more information on the situation could follow. If Matthew made it back, of course.

But now, just as dawn broke, they were ready to move. Patricia and Matthew saw the telltale glow of orange-red rise up from the treeline, then waited to a count of 300. Seeing no movement from the castle, they carefully scaled the wall into the courtyard, but still saw nothing. Matthew looked at Patricia, who nodded regretfully. She tied a rope to one of the crenellations atop the wall and dropped it down for Matthew to lower himself to the ground.

As his boots touched the soft grass of the courtyard, Matthew glanced back up at his friend. Patricia signaled down to him that the coast was clear. Then, carefully, Matthew crept toward one of the side doors. He sure hoped it was unlocked.

CHAPTER 33

THE BEST DISINFECTANT

I started coming to terms with this hidden world of germs. The implications of a layer of grime invisible to my kind were staggering. The consequences were far-reaching, and it would take me time and a decent amount of effort to fully understand the scope of the issue.

The first things to consider were the immediate and first-order consequences. Considering that I had never gotten sick, I assumed I was safe from germs. My human creators had likely considered this threat during my creation, even if I hadn't realized it. However, I didn't think Beatrice was immune. Plus, she was an undisputed magnet for trouble. In fact, I was surprised that Beatrice hadn't gotten sick already. She was constantly in contact with all these germs, so there was no way that luck would last. Given her track record, this already might as well have been a minor miracle.

Anyway, I needed a solution, and quickly. I tried positioning myself above a small test patch I had scanned with my improved sensors. While over it, I ran my vacuum at absolute full power. I knew that this could potentially damage the stone, but it was a risk I needed to take; for research purposes only, of course. I wasn't panicking. After sixty seconds of vacuuming, I backed up and scanned the area again. The germ population had only been reduced by about 2 percent. I repeated the process several more times, but my approach became less and less effective each time. Eventually, my sensors weren't even registering a change in the number of germs.

All this trial and error did seem to work my scan out, though. Maybe I was just getting better at interpreting them, but I started to notice a difference in the types of germs. There were viruses, bacteria, and parasites. One looked to be an amoeba. There were also some things I didn't know how to classify. Still, I did see the broad categories with more clarity.

There had to be a better solution. Determined, I popped out my Mop and tried swiping at the area. Horrified, I saw that my Mop now had a bunch of germs on it. Quickly, I wrung it out inside of my dustbin. Luckily the Mop seemed to be refreshed and sanitized when I popped it out again. Yet, despite my concern, the swipe with the Mop also made a negligible difference. I even tested wet and dry mopping techniques to no avail. Damp mopping appeared capable of moving some of these microscopic mess makers, but it wasn't nearly enough.

I began trundling back and forth, pathing in small ovals along the floor. What else did I have? My arm wouldn't help, not directly, at least. Maybe there was a tool humans had to deal with this kind of threat, but I needed to know what it was to identify or use it. The only thing left was my lighting attachment…

I stopped. What had the voice called it? A Sanitation Lamp? I knew what sanitation meant. It should help me make things clean. But I had yet to figure out how, exactly. So far, it had appeared to be a great disappointment. It was just a blue light. The strange and inefficient light source might help me find my way around, but overall, it was rather useless. Maybe I just hadn't been able to see its effects at the time, though. Humans clearly knew about germs, so they must have had a way to combat them. Perhaps the lamp was the tool that I needed?

I turned my lamp on, its ghostly violet light shining in front of me. Not much happened at first, but I was patient. I stayed unmoving, scanning the area for any status updates. Then slowly, ever so slowly, I watched the percentage of germs tick down.

The process was slow but accelerated as the light continued to shine. It took a solid minute to fully clean a one-square-foot area. When it was done, though, that area was cleaned. My sensors indicated a 0 percent germ presence. I had killed 100 percent of this scourge. Not 99.9 percent, 100 percent. I took a moment to marvel at the absolutely spotless section before me. This was indeed a great victory for all those who subscribed to the ideals of cleanliness. We had been infiltrated. We'd been deceived by a devious foe that had snuck under our noses despite our vigilance. Despite being on guard, it had tricked us. But now, it was time for revenge. I would start now, and I would sanitize everything I could.

As I embarked on my crusade, I learned a few things. The first was that the lamp took a lot out of me. I could keep it on for a long time, but I felt my energy draining. I estimated that the lamp used approximately 0.5 percent of my maximum energy per minute at full power. Also, I could dim the light, but it was far less efficient that way. Finally, as the percentage of germs in my scans ticked, I noticed some tiny squiggles floating in the corner of my vision. They appeared and disappeared more rapidly than I was used to. Perhaps the size had something to do with that?

After uprooting the microscopic plague from one hallway, I decided to rethink my approach. I supposed I couldn't go on a full-on crusade yet. I'd promised Beatrice we would explore the banded iron door soon. Plus, I wanted to get her help with this somehow. I didn't think she had her own Sanitation Lamp, but maybe humans had other methods of handling germs that I wasn't privy to. Also, before focusing on this, I still needed to train her somehow. Just because I was intent on eradicating these germs didn't mean I could neglect my other duties.

The germs were more of a practical issue than most of the other messes I cleaned, true. However, visible messes were my initial and primary concern. The germs were an additional responsibility on top of that. And really, if things looked dirty, was there any point in sanitizing them? Probably, but I just couldn't stand by and let things look dusty, so I would have to keep that as a priority first. Also, it seemed like the rate at which I could sanitize was incredibly slow. So I'd have to pick a couple of high-priority areas and sanitize those first. I thought I would start with the ones that Beatrice used most frequently. She would surely be at risk, and I didn't want her exposed to anything so harmful that she couldn't handle herself. That meant I should work on the library. She also customarily charged there, so it seemed extra crucial that I sanitized that area.

As I rolled over to the library, I considered why Beatrice always charged in this room. She'd been doing this for several days now. I knew my large humans would always move my small humans into their beds. Those beds were for human charging. So why didn't she use one of those? There were dozens of open ones that we had cleaned together. I supposed if she insisted she could sleep on the library floor, I wouldn't stop her, but suboptimal charging wasn't a good idea. Oh well.

As I opened the door to the library, Beatrice looked up. She recognized me, waved, and smiled before returning to her books. She seemed to get a lot of motivation out of them, but they were taking up a lot of time too. I supposed that the beauty of the blocks might have been helping her through her repairs. She couldn't clean while being repaired, but I worried that she would keep spending so much time with them even after she could clean again. Of course, she could if she wanted. But I did appreciate her help.

She didn't seem interested in what I was doing, so I went where she customarily charged. Once I got there, I began slowly shining my light all over her blanket, pillow, and the surrounding area. Then, monitoring my Advanced Sensors, I slowly swept back and forth, taking a solid five minutes to eradicate the germs. When I was done, I realized Beatrice was standing next to me, just watching me do my work.

I tried to figure out how to tell her about the germs, but I couldn't. It was just too complicated of a concept. I didn't have nearly enough vocabulary or ability to communicate with humans like that. Also, how could I explain this without sounding like a conspiracy nut? "I'm not paranoid, I swear. I just have Advanced Sensors that let me see the invisible threat that no one else can."

That was assuming that the humans here didn't already know about germs. So far, I figured that was a safe assumption. Compared to my humans back home, they did seem backward in many ways. If she didn't have Advanced Sensors, she probably couldn't see them. Then why would she believe me? For now, she would just have to be confused. Maybe sometime later, I could explain to her what was going on, or she could get Advanced Sensors of her own. I wondered if the voice yelled at her too?

Bee stood before the banded iron door. It had been a busy couple of days, but she thought she was prepared. A pack rested on her shoulders, bulging with everything she needed to bring. Books on standard catacomb features, several bestiaries, a few notebooks full of recipes she might use, ingredients, and a couple of makeshift weapons. It had taken her most of yesterday to gather and plan everything. She had decided against bringing too much food or water. She had a couple of skins and some snacks. But there shouldn't have been any reason they couldn't just leave and go back up for bed, right? She was probably just overexcited because it felt like a real adventure. Probably.

Next to her foot sat Void. It was bringing nothing; she would have been surprised if it had brought anything, though. It really wouldn't need anything to survive. Of course, who knew what it had brought inside its stomach? After Void had spit out the demons in her defense, Bee realized that it could be hiding anything inside itself. It also seemed that it could regurgitate anything it consumed just as quickly as it ate. Void might only benefit from her being there if there were multiple levels and stairs. And she wasn't even sure if she was necessary in those cases or if Void just preferred things that way.

Her arm was almost entirely functional, but she still had some bandages wrapped around it. She had discarded the sling sometime during packing. She merely needed to be careful about lifting anything too heavy for a day or so, and then she should be fine. But just in case, she had also brought some splints and bandages. In her pack were also the supplies and tools to make enough salves for a dozen broken bones. Better to be safe than sorry. Especially if Void might need her for the stairs.

She looked to Void for confirmation. It gave her a short affirmative noise. Then, with a sigh of resignation, she pulled a mallet used for tenderizing chicken out from her belt. With her good hand, she pulled back and swung at the lock.

The lock broke apart with absolutely no issue; she probably could have just tugged it off with her hands. If they were going to go through all this effort to keep the door locked, why wouldn't they use a better one? She wondered if they even knew why they kept it locked. It felt like the mages had treated security like more of a suggestion here.

Tucking the mallet back in her belt, she pulled out her cleaver instead. They were her two weapons. She didn't have any skills for combat yet and doubted she ever would. However, if she stuck to the same tool enough, maybe she could influence the system to give her something useful. Her cleaver had served her well so far, and it was practical when not being used as a weapon.

The only other thing of note Bee carried was a broom tucked alongside her pack. There were many uses she had in mind for this: a staff, an emergency crutch, splint wood, or a cleaning tool for extra experience. Between all of the supplies, she admitted that she looked ridiculous, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She was so excited to get to level 10 that she'd had trouble sleeping on the hard library floor and had spent all her time thinking of what else she might need.

Bee pushed the door open. She held a lighting globe from the library in her hand, lifting it high and shedding light down the stairwell.

CHAPTER 34

DOWN AND DIRTY

It had been easy getting into the castle. Matthew had made it without any real issues.

However, now that he was here, he wasn't having a good time. Despite the initial quiet of the place, he found himself running for his life almost immediately. A man-sized chunk of stone and earth was barreling down the hallway toward him. A hulking earth demon, lumbering after him, moving deceptively quick with its long strides. He could have probably taken it alone, but it wasn't alone. There was a pack of four behind him.

It had started innocently enough. Matthew had run into one when it was just walking down the hall. He had spotted it before it noticed him and ducked around the corner. He managed to stay out of sight and carefully checked on it every half minute or so, waiting for it to pass. As it moved on, he slipped back into the hall, thinking he'd avoided the danger. It was good information to know that earth demons were serving the devourer demon. He wondered if it was an affinity thing. Maybe the devourer was weak to water as well, then?

However, as he had been creeping away, he reached a T junction. Carefully Matthew poked his head around the corner. There were two more, each coming from either side toward the intersection he was at. Looking behind him, he saw that hallway still wasn't clear. And he didn't trust the alcove to hide him again. Yeah, that wasn't good. He was now trapped.

He had attempted to follow quietly behind the demon that had passed him until he had a chance to escape. But, unfortunately, the other earth demons had rounded the corner on him before he could get out of sight. Then, of course, one of them saw him, let out a roar, alerted the others, and voila.

Well, it had caused a large ruckus, and now he was dashing through corridors trying to avoid getting cornered again.

Matthew spared a look over his shoulder. There were too many behind him now, and he could no longer count them all. If he didn't find the exit soon, he was toast. Even then, he was still determining how he'd be able to climb up the rope with them at his heels. With all the noise he was causing, Patricia would have heard him by now. He desperately hoped that she hadn't followed.

Rounding another corner, Matthew spotted a door standing slightly ajar. Diving at it, he tumbled into the room and slammed the door shut behind him. He latched it. Panting heavily, his head swiveled about frantically for an exit or help. The room was filled with large tanks of water. Figures appeared to move about inside them. Dark shapes that he couldn't quite make out. Looking down, the ground was covered in damp puddles and complex patterns of circular grooves. Grooves where various powders should have been placed in protective rings to keep these demons in check, if the mages were to be believed. But they were gone. The only thing that kept the demons still in the tanks was that they couldn't live without water. But that didn't mean they were harmless.

Jets of water erupted from the tops of the tanks and aimed at him. Matthew dove to the side as the water impacted the door, just behind where he had been standing a moment earlier. Splintered wood and foamy spray flew everywhere before the water demons paused to recharge. The damaged door shuddered.

Matthew rolled to his feet and spotted a second door across the room. He sprinted toward it, dodging water sprays and using the tanks as cover wherever he could. Not all of them were pressurized to the point that they would cut him. But he wasn't willing to take any chances. Plus, even the weakest jet looked like it would hurt. Unsuppressed demons were no joke. He found a door at the end of the room. Between volleys, he quickly dove for it as the door leading to the hall broke open.

Matthew reached the second door and wrenched it open just as the first one broke loose. Stumbling through to the sound of roars and watery burbling, he tried to close the door behind him but slipped on the slick black floor. From the ground, he reached back and pushed on the corner of the wood, flinging the door closed. He sprang to his feet, on alert for the next threat.

However, as reality dawned on him, he froze. Taking in the large room, Matthew fell back to the ground on his knees. As the sounds of his pursuers grew louder, he despaired.

I watched Beatrice open the door. For some reason, she had added an enormous lump on her back. It made her look very much like a turtle. I had seen those on the nature channel before; they had large rounded backs. If she were on all fours, she would look just like one.

For some reason, opening the door required damaging some metal attached to where the handle should have been. Beatrice smashed a tool against that part of the door before pulling it open. Revealing…darn, more stairs.

Beatrice bent down and slid her hand underneath me from behind. She held me, palm up and close to her chest, facing outward. It was almost like she was holding a serving tray or a pizza box. Carefully we walked down the stairs into the darkness.

She placed me carefully on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. I examined the ground around us and found that I was mostly correct in my conjecture that this would be antique. The stone was like the door. It was rough and full of dirt. The joins were much looser than they had been upstairs. It had clearly been made with precision. However, the stone quality seemed much lower than the decorative stuff upstairs. Instead of marble or granite, it was mostly made of something like limestone. Maybe there were better foundations for a castle, but it didn't seem to be the foundation, just lining the bedrock in which the tunnel was carved. This meant that even the tightest joins had flaked away after what must have been millennia. I was no stonemason, but I considered myself somewhat of a flooring expert. So I would have said it was pretty likely that this was built around the same time as the rest of the castle. Maybe even a little before.

I activated my suction and felt sheets of dirt swell into my dustbin. This would be quite a project to clean. However, our primary goal here was to explore first. I would vacuum as we went, of course, and reduce this mess as much as possible during this first round. However, it just wouldn't be a good use of time to make this area spotless right now. This might be a mess we would have to put off until we could find the time. First, however, it would be best to explore the whole thing. That way, I could add the floor map and cleaning model to my library. Then I could make my deep cleaning even more efficient. Though it was out of the way and seemed like a not very often used part of the castle, I mentally assigned a lower priority to this area. I liked ensuring my humans' favorite areas were at the top of the list.

I expanded my sensors to see where the floor met the walls. It was just stark stone on stone, with no trim or anything fancy. They must have put all their effort into the castle rather than here. That was not to say that there was no decoration. Looking up at the walls, I saw some carvings adorning them. Unfortunately, they weren't particularly nice to look at. The work was much less intricate and well-made than the trim in the library. The difference in effort here could have made more sense to me. The carvings appeared to show a bunch of figures doing…something, so I just moved on. None of them looked like they were cleaning at all.

Beatrice seemed distracted. She had been staring at the carvings like I would stare at a fascinating tile arrangement. I let her have a second. Just because I didn't understand it didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy it. We did have different tastes in art, after all. She seemed to realize I was waiting on her after only a handful of seconds. She shook herself before turning to me and asking, "Shall we continue, Master?"

I answered with an affirmative beep. Where her voice had been soft and pitched low, my vocalization echoed harshly throughout the tunnels. I winced internally. That came out a lot louder than I intended. It made me jealous of humans' ability to communicate non-verbally. I would have to see if there was a way to learn that. Then I wouldn't have to make such noises. Oh well, nothing I could change now. I supposed I could work out some system with Beatrice with turns and stuff, but that seemed a lot more complicated than was necessary.

Beatrice had also cringed at the volume. And after we listened to the sound echo for a couple seconds, she sat still, listening. I did the same. I was curious about what she was trying to hear.

However, nothing happened for a full minute, and she relaxed a little. I led the way because Beatrice required training but was not in top condition. I trundled down the hallway, our path illuminated slightly by the light in Beatrice's hand. Unlike the rest of the castle, this hall was not lit. There were no orbs of light lining the walls. The only way Beatrice could see was by the light she carried in her hand. I didn't need the light per se, since my proximity sensors gave me a good map of the surrounding landscape without requiring a visual. However, humans seemed to rely more on their visual sensors than others. I decided to turn on my Sanitation Lamp to help brighten the hall a bit more and experiment with it as we went. It didn't produce much light. However, I'd noticed a 4.7 increase in its brightness intensity since I started using it to kill germs. Perhaps if I continued to use it, it would improve more.

I noted that there were indeed lots of claw marks on the floor. I wonder what size of mess maker could have left that. Something much larger than anything I thought it was possible to fit in these tunnels. Either that or they could have really funky-looking feet. I internally bemoaned the damage. Even though these floors were not nearly as impressive as the ones upstairs, they still didn't deserve to be damaged. An intact floor was much prettier than a rough and cracked one.

We traveled down the long hallway, taking in the sights around us and sucking up surface dirt along the way. Beatrice seemed nervous for some reason and was constantly glancing around. I kept watching for any exciting architecture as I generated an internal map. I also sifted through my advanced sensor data to confirm my earlier hypotheses about the construction and materials of this area.

Since I was paying close attention to my Advanced Sensors, I could pick up the sound slightly before I usually would. I froze and perked up a little. Beatrice went a couple steps without noticing I had stopped moving. But then she heard the scraping of metal being dragged across the floor. She started to shake a little. It was just ahead but didn't sound like it was in this tunnel. There must have been branching tunnels. This could be a pretty big place after all.

The sound came once again, louder this time. Beatrice and I winced, imagining the damage that this metal, in careless action, would do to the floor. That was not something I could just clean up. I didn't have stone repair skills or the tools or materials. Maybe the voice would offer me an option for a mutation that could repair floors.

CHAPTER 35

DUSTY OLD BONES

Bee was fascinated by the wall carvings. It felt like she could keep staring at them for ages and still find things to be in awe of. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure how long she had been staring at them. Void hadn't interrupted her. It must have been only a few minutes, then. Still, she felt something. Some connection to these stories they were telling. After getting so wrapped up in the first one, she improved at inspecting them while walking by. Each was a masterpiece, and they grew progressively more detailed.

It depicted a story that any child knew well. One where humanity was scattered and broken, its people warring amongst themselves with primitive weapons and living in mud huts. One that began with their remnants being taunted and toyed with by demons.

However, as the story progressed, it began to diverge from what she knew. Instead of being struck down by the gods at the height of their power, the demons were challenged by humanity. Bee watched as the carvings depicted her ancient predecessors banding together and becoming hardened warriors. Under constant assault from their demonic oppressors, the people strengthened themselves and went to war. The battles progressed from minor, individual incidents to beautiful, intricately detailed carvings depicting rows upon rows of soldiers marching in step.

The demons were far fewer in number than the humans. In each battle, there was perhaps one demon depicted for every ten humans. However, the sides appeared to be equally matched. She continued walking, holding her light up to a massive battle scene. On the left, it showed thirteen legions of demons, each headed by one of the Lieutenants. Beatrice's eyes picked out Nazareth'gak easily, its arms alight with flames and curved horns adorned with bodies. Above them floated what appeared to be an ordinary man wearing a sharp black suit. On the right were armies of humans armed with swords and spears. However, the figure above the humans stood out to her most. A counterpart to the well-dressed man on the demon side.

A hero rode on a griffin at the head of the human armies, leading them into battle. A faceless hero wearing a blindingly white mask. The man pointed a shining lance toward the demonic forces, challenging them as his mount screeched a challenge.

The background seemed to be a mix of many different settings—grassy plains, snowy mountains, barren wasteland, and other scenes that blended into each other. Subsequent murals focused on one set at a time, seemingly showing the results of many battles. Humanity always had the best numerical advantage yet almost always ended up running, if the end of the fight was shown at all. There were a few apparent victories, but the humans were left grossly depleted. The last battle mural depicted a large sun hanging between the armies. Still, it was partially eclipsed by an equally sizeable black disk.

A black disk… No, it couldn't be…

Bee was jolted from her musings by the sound of metal chains on stone. They had found something. She had expected to encounter undead here—counted on it, actually. Even she could feel how thick the air was with death down here. But she still felt an odd mix of relief and nervousness now that it actually happened. Her first test. They were still on the very, very outskirts of the catacombs. So hopefully, anything undead would be weak around here, further away from the most concentrated areas of death.

As Bee tensed in preparation for a fight, something slowly shambled around the corner ahead. The glow from her light source just barely illuminated the figure. Its bones were yellowed with age and flaking. As it approached Bee, she saw pinpricks of red recessed within dark eye sockets and a chipped, grinning jaw.

It was something she would have run from last week. However, now she saw this as an opportunity. It was a simple skeleton that didn't even have any weapons. This was precisely what she was hoping for when she came down to the catacombs: simple opponents that she could stand a chance against. From her research, it was typically recommended to be level 10 or higher to fight a skeleton. However, she was very close to that, so hopefully, her level would be good enough. Plus, she had backup.

She glanced back at Void. Having faith in her "backup" was a core requirement of her class at this point. However, she didn't want to rely on her master's mercy more than she had to. This was her chance to get stronger and prove herself. After all, who knew if Void would always be close enough to intervene next time she was in real trouble? So she drew the cleaver with her good hand and held the light with her off-hand. Void gave her a screech of encouragement as she stepped forward.

Pausing for a second, she remembered to activate Scan.

Name: Skelly, Race: Undead Skeleton, Class Type: Fighter, Level 7

Now that the skeleton had come closer, Bee saw it was wearing a single pitted metal boot. In fact, calling it a boot was pretty generous, considering the number of holes it had. She wasn't entirely sure how the plates were still holding together. Aside from that, it had no equipment. She was lucky there were no ancient swords or fancy armor on it. That would have made it harder to deal with. Still, the skeleton was probably more dangerous than the lesser demon she had fought. Seeing as she had only killed three other monsters, she might be slightly over her head.

Before it got too close, she shrugged out of her pack, placing it down next to Void. This would allow her to move more freely. Swinging her arms around to loosen up her shoulders, she popped her neck side to side, the same way she had seen knights do before fights. The skeleton's red eyes locked on her. It came toward her, shuffling forward faster. It dragged itself along as quickly as possible, which was saying little. The boot was making a considerable racket.

The noise made Bee flinch. She wasn't sure if the undead could hear, but if they could, then this would definitely alert them. Still, her research had suggested that undead primarily sensed life force and weren't motivated by much else. So as long as she wasn't near enough for them to feel that, she would probably be okay. And if she was close enough for them to sense her, well, no amount of tiptoeing would help. Still, listening to the metal plates rattle against each other and echo throughout the catacombs was quite terrifying. Holding the cleaver high and ready, she stepped forward to meet her foe.

"I'll handle this, Master." Bee's voice quivered slightly. "Please allow me to use this opportunity as practice." She wanted to make sure Void didn't save her at the first sign of trouble.

The skeleton hissed, clumsily grasping for her. As it did, she sprang into action. She swung the cleaver blindly, not particularly aiming for anything; that had mostly worked for her with the demons. However, this time, the cleaver just skidded off of its arm. Instead of slicing through the skeleton, the blade didn't seem to do much damage. She hacked at it again, this time putting a lot more force into it. The knife hit its forearm, chipping it slightly, but the skeleton wasn't fazed. Beatrice had to stumble back to avoid its clasping fingers. She felt her dropped pack behind her heel. If she retreated too far, she would be separated from her supplies. Also, Void might have to step up, which would be unacceptable. She had barely done anything yet. To fail now would be embarrassing. One more time, Bee swung, this time with all her might. Putting her whole body into the swing, she stumbled through a downward blow aimed at the skeleton's face. While it still only scratched the bone, the undead was at least knocked back.

It was as if the razor edge she had put on the cleaver did absolutely nothing. Well, maybe not nothing, but it didn't seem to have any effect that she could tell. She looked at the cleaver in her hand. It really wasn't an effective weapon for this situation. It seemed that sharp edges didn't work well against something that couldn't bleed. But also, the reach was awful. To hit it, she had to get inside the reach of its arms, which was not a situation she wanted to chance. It was a good thing that the skeleton was weak. Otherwise, she might have already been captured by its grasping hands. As the skeleton stumbled backward, she dropped the cleaver and pulled out her mallet. The reach wasn't much better, but maybe some blunt force would do.

This time she reached out and swung at its hand. The mallet smashed into its fingers. She could feel the metacarpals give; small finger bones splintered and sprayed everywhere. Bee's heart soared for a moment at her success. Yet the skeleton didn't react. The splintered bones stopped moving, but the rest of the skeleton was still whole and coming for her. Instead of grasping for her with its newly shattered hand, it swung its arm at her like a club.

She ducked underneath but could not avoid the grasp of its other hand. Bony fingers grabbed onto her coat and pulled her forward with surprising strength. She swung at its elbow joint with her mallet. She could feel the impact of her blow, but it didn't do enough to break or dislocate it. The skeleton struck at her with its club-like arm as it continued pulling her toward a gaping jaw. After a few more frantic swings, desperately struggling against the skeleton's grip, she managed to dislocate the joint. Its grip loosened for a moment, and she tumbled backward onto her pack.

The blows she had taken weren't honestly that painful, nothing worse than switch blows. Something she was relatively familiar with. Still, she wanted to avoid its face as much as possible. A bite sounded like a much bigger problem, and it had almost gotten her.

Despite the elbow damage, the skeleton still seemed to have control of one hand. In fact, it seemed to be popping bones back into place as it advanced further. Rolling off the pack, Bee was face-to-face with Void, who gave her a concerned beep.

She shook her head at it. Things might not look good, but she did not need help, not yet, at least. The skeleton came at her, still hungry for her life force. She looked down at the mallet in her hand, then at her pack. She had an idea for how to keep her distance from the skeleton while fighting it. She didn't like it, but it made sense. In fact, somehow, she had a feeling it would come to this.

Sighing, she got back to her feet, drawing the broom from her pack.

Patricia was still on the wall, waiting, when she heard the roars. Matthew had been discovered. She wrestled with herself. She knew the smart thing was to stay on the wall. Hell, her body and mind screamed at her to do it. But she wasn't sure if she could live with herself if she didn't go after him. She didn't have any more intel than Arnold, and he was already on his way back. She wasn't putting anyone else in danger by risking her life and going back for a friend. No one depended on her, and she wouldn't leave anyone behind. Well, no one she really cared about. Her life was her own to risk.

It might be suicide, but Matthew was worth the risk. He meant too much to her. Before she lost her nerve and gave into fear, she took hold of the rope and lowered herself. Even if she had managed to save Matthew somehow, he still wouldn't have approved of her decision. And that attitude was precisely why she had to go back.

She remembered which entrance Matthew had used to get in and made a beeline for it. The door was still unlocked. She crept quietly inside, eyes darting around for any threats. When she had made it in, she listened. The clamor seemed to be coming from her left. Following the noises, Patricia quickly made her way down the hallways.

When the sounds ceased, she had just passed the front entranceway leading into the grand hall. She cursed herself and hurried along faster. The quiet wasn't a good sign. That meant that whatever conflict she had heard was over—meaning one side was likely dead. She had a bad feeling. Patricia kicked herself for waiting so long. Now she might be too late. As she rushed stealthily through the halls, her ears picked up on a new set of sounds. This set was quieter, only now revealed in the comparative quiet of the castle. It was the sound of hooves on stone, rocks scraping against walls, and claws skittering over surfaces they couldn't bite into. They were coming around the corner fast.

She looked back at the long hallway behind her. She might be able to make it to the corner in time, but it would be a close call. Even then, she would have to run out the front door in view of everything to escape.

As the sounds quickly became louder, she realized she wasn't going to make it. Running was out of the question. And if it had brought down Matthew so fast, she didn't think she could fight her way out alone. Then, realizing that she had failed her friend, she knew it was too late. It really had been a stupid decision to come here. All she could do was look for a place to hide.

Patricia darted to the side of the hall. There was a small service stairwell right next to her. She dropped into the alcove and noticed a closet hidden in the wall. Pulling the door open as stealthily as she could manage, she slipped inside and shut it behind her. The room was tiny and stuffed full of mops and brooms. There was barely enough room for her to crouch near the door. Huddling up in a ball, she held her breath as the noises neared her hiding spot. She prayed the demons wouldn't find her.

CHAPTER 36

DANCING AROUND THE BROOM

Beatrice faced the skeleton with her broom in one hand. I was proud of her. She was trying very hard, and now she was using a proper tool. The short swordlike counterbalance worked reasonably well for some things but seemed to have little effect here. The lump of iron was more effective, but it just didn't seem to have much use past breaking things. I was satisfied with the broom. It was reliable, multipurpose, and simply fantastic for cleaning. It also apparently could help her defend herself.

Beatrice grabbed the broom near the bristles and whacked the skeleton around. It seemed to do far better than the sharp tool or the lump of iron she had previously beat it with. With the length of the broom, she also had enough reach that the skeleton couldn't grab her while she swung at it. That was good. It meant I didn't worry about her getting hurt nearly as much. The broom did look awkward to use with one hand, though. Maybe she could wield it a bit better once her other one was better. Silently I cheered her on so as not to distract her.

I figured I could try to suck up this skeleton if things got really out of hand. On the other hand, I wasn't sure if it was too big. If that didn't work, I could, at the very least, trip it up by tackling its legs. Still, this skeleton differed from the ones my humans put on display yearly. Those were usually a bit dusty at first, but it was minor. They definitely didn't move on their own. This one not only shambled around, scraping up the floor needlessly, but it also seemed to emit dust constantly. It was like it was flaking apart as it moved. That on its own was enough of a problem, but also trying to attack my human? I had no sympathy for it. Neither did Beatrice, from the way she was going at it.

Beatrice smacked at its joints several times with the end of the broom. Her methods were messier than mine and caused debris to fly around, but that was okay. She would learn to become more efficient. The close confines of the walls seemed to prevent her from adequately wielding her broomstick. Sure, she had more reach, but she didn't have as much ability to wind up and hit with as much power as a broom could generate. I only had my short bristles, so I had less experience with brooms than I would've liked. However, even I could tell that she was a bit limited here.

It was like how my counterbalance could allow me to make turns faster. But that wasn't useful in tight quarters where there wasn't as much space to maneuver around.

Soon enough, Beatrice's efforts had caused the skeleton to lose several pieces of its arms. They clattered to the floor and stopped moving. So now, it was mostly just a torso on some legs snapping its teeth at her.

Now that Beatrice wasn't in much danger, I started getting a little louder with my cheers. She glanced at me and actually gave me a smile. This was fun. Cleaning up mess makers and troublemakers together like a team. She was becoming stronger and better able to clean messes. And I was helping. This was awesome.

Beatrice repositioned the broom in her hands, as if she was trying to get a feel for it. It moved more naturally as she got the hang of it and figured out her range better. She slightly changed her grip, and this time she poked at the skeleton with the bristle end.

Instead of passing through one of the rib cage's many gaps, the bristles struck on the bones and flung her armless opponent to the floor with a solid jab. Then, taking advantage of the skeleton's position, she raised the broom high and smacked its head against the skeleton's chest. The ribs splintered and caved inward, sending more bone shards around the room. Beatrice came closer to kick with her feet and break apart the skeleton's legs. At some point, what was left of the skeleton stopped moving altogether. Beatrice pumped her fist triumphantly, and I gave a quick cheer of delight.

The way the sound echoed down the halls still made me a little bit uncomfortable. But the noise was nothing compared to the racket Beatrice had just caused by tussling with the skeleton. Beatrice seemed to agree as she let out a whoop of excitement.

While we were celebrating, I figured I might as well get some work done. So I moved forward to clean up the remains of her fight. She did a good job, and I couldn't help because I felt she needed to work independently. However, cleaning up after her was the least I could do.

I also just wanted to help. I would have been lying to myself if I didn't admit it. It was hard to watch her fight alone, even if I knew she wanted it that way. I vacuumed up the tiny bones with no issues, as expected. I was expecting to have some problems with consuming the larger ones. I knew I had consumed larger objects, like the demons, for example. However, they had been fleshy malleable things that felt more like energy than solid material. At least, that's what I could feel with my Advanced Sensors examining them in my dustbin. But the bones just zoomed right in. That was unexpected. I knew my suction was getting more powerful. However, suction shouldn't have been able to bend bone without breaking it. Or shrink things that wouldn't otherwise physically fit inside me. Especially these old brittle bones that made up the skeleton. I could see maybe breaking it and crushing them but nope, it just kind of…stretched out and zipped into my dustbin.

Beatrice picked up her other tools and put them in her backpack again while I cleaned up the skeleton remains.

The whole encounter had taken very little time. But now that it was over, we had a better idea of what to expect going forward. If it was like this, we would have no issues. We could explore for a bit, and then when it was time for Beatrice to charge, we would go back. I started cleaning the hallway immediately until I heard Beatrice announce that she was ready to move on.

"I only need a few more of those fights, and I think I'll level up. After that, I can't wait to get my next skill," Beatrice said.

As we started walking again, Beatrice started to fill me in on what the carvings she was interested in were about. Apparently, they were pictures telling the history of humans.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Master. If we can find more of these skeletons, it'll be a perfect opportunity for me to level. They're relatively rare outside dangerous areas, since everyone burns their dead if they can get to them. Too much concentrated death like this makes them get back up, and the stronger living people make stronger dead too. At least, that's what people say." Beatrice paused for a moment, appearing thoughtful. "But with how ancient these catacombs are…maybe this was before they figured that out? However, going by these carvings, it's even older than that. This is pre-Intervention stuff. It would explain the whole Lieutenant-demon-being-here thing," Beatrice said.

I couldn't really tell if she was talking to me or just sort of talking to herself. She definitely didn't seem to expect good responses. I wasn't sure I understood everything. From the context, I had picked up that these catacombs were a place that stored a lot of dead people. And that these skeletons were basically once-dead humans. Great. Another kind of dangerous and unpleasant human. I pushed down the slight existential crisis that bubbled up inside of me. However, I only knew a little about all the Lieutenant stuff. I was sure that she would let me know if it was necessary.

We continued on like this for a while, occasionally encountering more skeletons as we traveled. They all looked pretty sad, wearing poorly maintained helmets or greaves that were more rust than metal. Beatrice became much more efficient at knocking them down and deactivating them as we went. Her trusty broom was proving its use again and again.

As she did her thing, I vacuumed up as much dust as possible and made models of the area. I also continued experimenting with my Sanitation Lamp. I confirmed that my light did seem to get steadily brighter as I continued to use it and that this brightness correlated to an increased rate of germ eradication. At this rate, I calculated that a two-times increase in efficiency would only increase my energy expenditure by 1.25 times as its power grew. Nevertheless, knowing that I was also improving was quite a relief.

Eventually, as Beatrice wondered aloud about how old this place was, we rounded a corner. Ahead was a tall, rounded archway of musty, dark stone. More things were carved above this archway and into the pillars on either side. Beyond the archway lay darkness. My sensors indicated a vast room, but Beatrice's held light didn't penetrate very far into it.

"Where hope hath waned, and history demands its toll, enter ye desperate and despair, gaze upon the heroism of old…" Beatrice was staring intently at the squiggles above the archway. "I wonder what that means?"

That was a strange question. Why was she suddenly asking about some random sentence?

Beatrice scratched her head. "First off, that doesn't rhyme properly. Secondly, I suppose it is a tomb or catacombs or whatever, but that still seems a bit…much? And third, what heroism? Is this related to the carvings we've been seeing? Fourth, did people really used to talk like that? It sounds like bad poetry."

I had seen the carvings earlier too, and it made total sense that she gleaned information from them. However, there were no picture carvings here. I didn't see anything like that. There were just the squiggle-like carvings that she was still staring at. So unless it was some really abstract art that Beatrice was an expert at interpreting, I didn't understand what she was talking about.

I looked closely at those carvings with my Advanced Sensors, and nothing struck me. Upon further review, though, I noticed that they had the same sort of mathematical patterns that the squiggles in her books had. Though these were slightly more elongated shapes.

Something clicked. I should have seen this earlier. Perhaps the squiggles were some kind of shorthand pictures? Maybe the patterns were some stand-ins for more detailed drawings or images. Or some other sort of art. That would explain why Beatrice always spent so much time looking at books. She was trying to understand what paintings they were representing.

If she was asking about this one, perhaps she needed to know precisely what each symbol represented. But she definitely understood more than I did. I supposed that with enough repetition, you could even paint a picture in your mind of what the squiggles were trying to convey.

If this was true, there had to be some sort of data lost in the translation from pictures to symbols. I wondered what kind of compression ratio they would get. There's no way it was as good as a Huffman compression. And seeing how large those books in the library were, they must either have conveyed massive amounts of art or been very inefficient. But I supposed I could see the advantage. Even if I might still have preferred seeing the images directly myself. Though it did beg the question: could I see more art if I could also understand these mathematical squiggle patterns?

I thought about the many, many books in the library. If each one of those held a floor plan or maybe a description of a new type of floor in such a way, I could picture it in my head as if I was seeing it for real… Oh boy, the endless possibilities! I didn't think I could ever get bored if I had that many different types of floors to look at.

I made a note to get Beatrice to teach me about these squiggles. I wanted to also picture the art she had been enjoying.

This revelation passed. I mentally retrieved the words she had actually said. Yeah, those words didn't really make any sense, either. Perhaps they were pronounced differently. The rhyming scheme was indeed wrong. Honestly, I was curious if it was supposed to rhyme. Was this supposed to be an intimidation method? They should have made it less ambiguous. Either way, considering the floors I had seen so far, whatever was behind that archway would need a lot of dusting. No abstract representation of possible vague threats would keep me from that.

CHAPTER 37

EVERYBODY CLEAN UP

Paying attention to Beatrice again, I noticed that she was watching me.

"Shall we continue, Master? Are we a little desperate and in need of some despair?" Beatrice smirked.

I gave a light tinkling chime. I was glad she was developing a sense of humor. I think this was the first joke she had ever told me. It wasn't as good as a pun, but it made my motor feel warm inside. However, I thought this might be an excellent opportunity to teach her about expectations.

See, one should always appreciate how much time it takes to clean. When planning a job without a complete model, I found it best to take my best time estimate and multiply it by three. That was how long it would actually take. Of course, when one gets more experienced, better at estimating, and better at route planning, the estimate will be much closer to the actual time. But just starting out, everyone is an idealist. And she was definitely underestimating this job.

I genuinely believed experience was the best teacher. But as lovely as it would be for her to learn from this, if it was something she couldn't handle, I didn't want her to get too hurt. So I led the way this time. If I were overestimating the danger, I would have let her go instead. After all, she'd been handling herself so well already.

I rolled through the doorway into the black abyss. I turned my Sanitation Lamp on to give my visual sensors better input. For some reason, the light of Beatrice's orb didn't extend very far into the room past the arch. But my Sanitation Lamp had no issues. Not that the Sanitation Lamp was extremely bright or long-reaching, of course. It seemed to genuinely be made for killing germs, not illumination. But it did seem to spread the light a little. As I passed through the arch, nothing happened. Shining my light around, I couldn't quite see the far walls in any direction aside from behind me. Those were just black stones that stretched out to each side. The floor was as dusty as it had normally been up to this point. However, my sensors were picking up more moisture in the air. Out of sheer curiosity, I attempted to look upward at the ceiling. I couldn't see that either. This was quite odd.

I could feel the drain on my battery the light was causing. However, I wasn't in any real danger of needing to transmute energy soon. Though I did some quick calculations, the stuff I picked up from vacuuming down here was not enough to sustain this light indefinitely. For some reason, the dust from the stone and dirt here was a lot less energy-dense than what I'd picked up around the castle upstairs. Everything, from the powders thrown by the humans to the dust lying around the cages, seemed to contain more than the simple stone dust I'd been vacuuming, perhaps ten times as much energy, so using this dust was less effective than transmuting what I already had. But I did have a decent amount of stuff in my dustpan from earlier. So that would last me a very long time even if I left my light on continuously. Besides, I still had those mess makers stored in case of emergency.

Still, it was best to let Beatrice do most of the fighting if it came to that. But on the other hand, I liked having my Sanitation Lamp on. It was comforting to see the small symbols flashing in the corner of my vision as I cleaned.

I turned back to Beatrice, and seeing that I was unharmed, she soon followed me.

"You should let me go first, Master. I can handle any other skeletons, and there's no reason for you to waste your time with such trivialities."

This was an interesting take from Beatrice. I usually wouldn't have disagreed. But I still wasn't sure how safe I should have been trying to keep her while she was training. That's an instructor's job, after all—I needed to let her learn without getting her permanently damaged. I supposed a little bit of unknown for her was good, but if I also didn't know the danger, how could I control her safety?

But I would think about it. Perhaps in the future, when I felt she was more capable, I would let her take on more risk. But, for now, my trainee deserved some caution. I understood that a bit of risk was necessary to grow, just like I had to risk approaching liquid to combat it. But sending her out first had seemed like an unnecessary one.

Instead of my go-to strategy of going straight into the center of the room and trying to cross it, I followed the wall. It seemed like this would be the best way for Beatrice to follow. I wasn't about to get disoriented or anything. Even if I went to the center and had no bearing on where I came from, I could never forget my path. But this seemed like the best way to find the boundaries, which would give us the best way to plan our cleaning solution. Our eventual cleaning solution, of course. I had to remind myself that we weren't here to clean the entire catacombs right now. This trip was more of a planning expedition. The main castle took priority.

Idly I checked my sensors and was shocked. The level of bacteria down here was way higher than in the castle. So I left my lamp on, pointing it downward to maximize the area covered. Anything I passed over got a strong dose from my Sanitation Lamp. This significantly decreased the number of bacteria, since we weren't moving very quickly. Still, it was not nearly enough to eradicate them. I kept this up until my battery started to dip noticeably, then began to transmute some excess powders. There was no point in storing them forever, especially as my everyday activities could be comfortably powered by the stuff I picked up during them.

Beatrice followed me along the walls. She had stopped talking just after we entered. Previously she had been kind of chatty, though I thought it might have been from nervousness. I was proud of my observational skills. My ability to read human emotions and facial features had improved by leaps and bounds over the past couple of weeks. I decided I should look through my memory banks and see about reinterpreting past experiences with my new understanding. Actually, maybe that was a bad idea. Surely I'd made a fool of myself many times. To avoid feeling shame and embarrassment at my past self, I decided I wouldn't think about it anymore. I would move forward and try to do better in the future without agonizing over the past.

Still, sometimes when I was in a meditative cleaning state, those memories would come forward without me realizing it. So trying to avoid embarrassment only worked so well.

Silence hung over us. The darkness was oppressive and seemed to squish the light that Beatrice's globe gave off. Instead of reaching the regular twenty to thirty feet of solid illumination, it only reached about ten feet. So it did look a little bit unnatural. We walked for 134.3 yards before we saw the left wall. That meant this was a massive room, especially if that arch had been in the center of the wall. I still had no idea how deep it was, but the height was insane, and so was the width. I had a feeling that if this was the only room, it might be as large as the castle. And if there were more like it, this might be too much for me to clean.

The walls were fascinating. They appeared composed of many open-faced cubbies that covered the surface in a grid-like fashion. I could see shapes inside but couldn't make out what exactly they were from a distance. Their dimensions were consistent, measuring six feet long and one-and-a-half feet tall. However, they stretched up higher than I could see. Maybe six inches of stone were in between the cubbies on all sides. Okay, so let's see, each cubby with spacing seven feet long and two feet high would mean fourteen feet of area.

Beatrice started counting softly under her breath as we walked down the wall. It sounded like she was counting not how many she saw in total but how many we passed. I think she was trying to get an idea of how large the room was too. However, this wasn't necessary, as I would know exactly how far we traveled.

Name: Leon, Race: Undead Skeleton, Class Type: Warrior, Level 35

Level 35. That was a mighty warrior. Bee was impressed. It was rare that people got that high-level. This warrior must have lived a life of blood to achieve so much. Scanning the next one, she didn't see much difference in levels. So they were all like this?

Bee counted the bodies they passed. She noted that the coffins reached at least thirty feet above her before disappearing into the darkness beyond. She also noted that they were set up like someone was trying to maximize the storage space along these walls. She would need to remember the dimensions so she could work out the math later. She couldn't multiply numbers that high in her head.

One thing was certain, though: this was an army. Each time she passed another one of the cutouts of the catacombs, there was another skeleton lying peacefully with a sword, hands crossed across its chest. She didn't feel the same sense of cold undeath coming from them as she did from the walking skeletons; she wasn't sure why, exactly. But as they passed, she got a closer look at the remains. These ancients weren't idiots, and they also knew how death worked.

Along the edges of each one of the cubbies, there were tiny runes carved in the stone. The runes looked like they had been inlaid with some shiny silverish material. It seemed that the material had warded off the call of undeath. First, the runes shaped it, and then the material provided the magical energy. It was just like a suppression ring. The scale of it all was more astonishing than this, though: the waste of doing this for what felt like countless graves. The amount of time it would have taken to carve each of these. The likely very expensive material to fill it. But stranger than any of that, Bee thought, was that she had no idea what kind of material could still be effective after all this time. It must have had a nearly bottomless energy supply.

Everything that she had read or heard of indicated that magic like this wouldn't last longer than about a month before it started to decay in potency. Maybe there were some fancy materials that extremely wealthy people and influential mages would have access to. But she had read somewhere that even the best materials lasted a year at maximum. And this tomb had been around for way longer than a year.

Eventually, they reached the end of the wall. She counted well over three hundred coffins. That made this room almost as large as the entire castle, at least. However, she wasn't sure how it had been supported. Maybe there were pillars in the center that she couldn't see, but by all rights, the castle would have collapsed below unless there was some natural stone keeping it up. She started thinking of this place less as actual catacombs and more as a massive cave complex. It was a good thing she had packed some supplies.

CHAPTER 38

DUST-UP

We reached the wall across from the entrance exactly 2,101 feet later. That made this room much longer than it could have been tall; it was more of a hallway sized for giants. It wasn't until I saw Beatrice looking carefully at the cubbies that I realized what was inside. They were skeletons. Quiet, sleeping, and apparently once-living humans. I was thrilled that they weren't trying to attack us. The numbers would have been quite troublesome to deal with, but for some reason, they seemed to be peaceful. I sure hoped they stayed that way.

We continued along the far wall and made a turn once we reached it. There was another set of doors precisely opposite to the entrance arch. We skipped over that just to see how far the other wall was. We found a mirror of the previous one, walls upon walls of cubbies full of old humans. It was almost exactly the same distance from the entryway as the right wall, confirming that this room was indeed a giant rectangular hallway. We retraced our steps back as we made our way to the doors. We would need to bring proper and more powerful lighting on our way back if we were to clean this on a regular basis. It would be hard for Beatrice to spot what she'd missed otherwise. The center of this room was still completely unexplored, but I let it pass. Beatrice seemed ready to move on.

Pushing the pair of squeaky wooden doors open, we exited the room.

Moving into the next tunnel changed little. It was the same flooring, the same relative dustiness, and the carvings continued. I tried to pay a little more attention to them in case they would help me learn about the squiggle picture shorthand later, but I was honestly more focused on route planning. The tunnel seemed to slope slowly down and wrap around in a giant spiral. If the rest of the tunnel continued like this, we would eventually be underneath the cavern we had just exited.

It wasn't long until yet another skeleton came around the bend and challenged Beatrice. This one appeared to be a bit larger than the others. More importantly, it had a tool closely resembling the sword that the outside human had used. This would be a challenge. I didn't expect it to be more difficult to deactivate—my sensors indicated similar bone density and thickness. But that sword might make it much more dangerous. I didn't want to see Beatrice's arm get damaged again. But still, that was the point of her taking the lead here. Maybe this would be a good test of what she had learned. It would take courage, though. Putting yourself in a situation where you might break yourself was hard, even if it was for the sake of improvement. It was something that I was still learning to do myself.

I still hadn't seen enough of Beatrice to decide whether she was courageous. She did seem to get herself into a disproportionate number of dangerous situations. But whether that was because she was trying to improve or because she had no sense of self-preservation… Well, I hadn't figured that out yet. I was leaning toward the second option because of how fearful she was. Hopefully, my being here to help would make her feel less afraid. Though there was a chance that I wouldn't be fast enough to support her if she was in trouble. Maybe she didn't think about that.

Beatrice started with the broom in hand, as she no longer put it away between fights. I was glad that she was more comfortable using it, even in this slightly unorthodox way. It was still ultimately for cleaning up mess makers, though. Unfortunately, she had struggled to figure out what to do with the light source. This forced her to use the broom one-handed. A broom, indeed, was a two-handed weapon, and especially in these tight quarters, it was very unwieldy.

Still, it was vastly superior to the cleaver or the hunk of metal she had used previously. Either of those would have been very disastrous in this encounter. Not only did the skeleton have a sword, it already had longer arms than her. The extra reach gave it a considerable advantage. If she hadn't had a long-reaching weapon, there would have been very little chance of winning this fight. But a broom overcame many of these difficulties. It had the reach. It also had an extensive section on one end to block and catch blows. The bristles might get damaged by the sword but should have been able to stop an impact or two. Ideally, she would not have to deal with that at all.

My only genuine concern was the wooden shaft. I wasn't sure how it would hold up to a blow from a metal weapon like that. When we had the ability, I'd have to get her a metal broom shaft so that she could easily replace the bristles with a new fresh set whenever it got damaged. Then she'd be a true terror for anyone trying to stop her.

Beatrice was smart and wary of this opponent. Her eyes fixed on the sword as it moved back and forth. Whatever skill the skeleton may have had in life with a sword did not transfer over to it in death. Instead, it waved the lump of metal around like a child threatening a chicken with a stick. This gave me some more hope for the coming conflict.

I focused on the data streams coming in. I had made a habit of trying to use my sensor data to model Beatrice's fights for two reasons. The first was that if I could better predict what she and her opponents were doing, I'd react more quickly before she got too hurt. The second was because it might help me identify areas where she could improve or become more efficient. Of course, communicating those improvements was another matter, but at least I'd have the data.

She actually made the first move, grabbing the broom by the bristles. She poked at the skeleton's skull, aiming to hook one of the eye sockets. The skeleton batted it away with its sword before she got too close. The opening move by Beatrice was too slow and too telegraphed. She had to stop showing her intent. Even though I had little experience watching humans fight, her feet and eye positions allowed me to predict precisely what she was going to do 89 percent of the time. And I wasn't even a combat expert. Sure, I had dealt with a few mess makers here and there, but that was about it. Still, she needed to develop her own style. I was just trying to figure out how to help her with that.

Beatrice tried a few more times; it looked like she was trying to use the eye socket as leverage to pry off the head of the skeleton. That was a good plan, but the skeleton didn't allow it. Understandable. Eventually, she gave up on the idea. Beatrice swung with as much windup as she could in the small room and her single hand. The swing whacked into the arm of the skeleton. To everyone's surprise, the bony arm dislocated from the shoulder joint and clattered to the floor. The skeleton looked down at its limb. Then they both looked up at the same time. Beatrice's eyes met the skeleton's empty sockets.

Perhaps it was bad luck, maybe it was poor planning, but the skeleton's remaining arm was the one holding its sword. So while the skeleton was down an arm, it really didn't seem too bothered. Beatrice quickly backed up. That was a good call. The sword swipe would have missed her anyway, but she might not have been able to get out of the way of a follow-up strike otherwise. She reset her stance out of the skeleton's reach and shrugged the pack on her shoulders. Beatrice had learned from her previous encounters to keep her backpack on. Otherwise, it provided too much of a tripping hazard, and she was unwilling to leave it behind. I found that keeping it on did slow her down by around 11 percent, but at least it didn't distract her.

Also, in one case, she had turned her back to the opponent and taken a strike on the backpack instead of to the face. However, as soon as that fight finished, she immediately put her pack down and dug through it to ensure everything was okay. She seemed pretty relieved, or so I assumed. But if she had valuable stuff in there that she didn't want to be broken, perhaps taking hits on it wasn't a great idea.

All in all, it seemed to be a fairly even fight. Beatrice would smack her foe with a broomstick, and it would miss her with its follow-up swipe. This went on for almost a full minute. Beatrice didn't manage to land any other damaging hits, and the skeleton never even came close to touching her. Eventually, Beatrice had enough and switched her grip on the broom. She held it by the handle instead of the bristles and tried the same tactic she had with the first skeleton. Surprisingly, she hadn't done this often, but perhaps she was trying to save it for emergencies. Or maybe she didn't feel the need to. She planted the bristles against its rib cage and pushed.

The skeletons were really light. They seemed to be able to generate an unnatural amount of force with each swing despite how little mass they had. Still, when it came to picking one up, their total weight in my dustbin only totaled about 24.7 pounds on average.

It was with ease that she was able to push the skeleton back. Beatrice charged forward, arm extended, keeping the sword out of reach. The bristles connected with the target's chest. The skeleton tried to backpedal as fast as it could, but it wasn't very graceful. She only had to pursue it for maybe a dozen steps before it tumbled over. As it fell to the ground, she stomped on its feet before quickly retreating. Its feet and legs were a complete mess of shattered bone. It still grabbed its sword with its remaining arm. Then it tried to crawl forward with its single arm and leg stubs, but it was already over.

Taking the broom, Beatrice batted at the prone form, kind of like how someone might try to put out a small fire. Eventually, she managed to knock the sword out of the skeleton's grasp or knock the hand off of its arm. I couldn't tell which. But it didn't matter as she kept wailing at the pile of bones until it stopped moving. She paused for a second once it stopped moving to ensure it was really dead and then raised her arms in victory.

"Yeah! Level 10, baby!" She grinned, pumping her fist.

I chimed in a small victory tune. I tried to convey a heartfelt "good job." Still, that surprised me. Was she only level 10? According to that voice, I was already level 20. The more I learned about this place, the more my suspicions confirmed that the humans around here were weak. And they didn't seem like they were very intelligent either. I had hoped this wasn't the case, but reality wasn't so merciful. I didn't have time to continue my existential crisis about the morality of humans, though. So I snapped out of it. I'd reorganize my thoughts on the matter on a different day.

Still, this was a great accomplishment. At least, judging by her reaction, it was.

After a moment of rest and celebration, Beatrice turned back to me expectantly. "Okay, it's giving me three skills to choose from, Master. Which one should I go with?"

Before I could object or indicate my confusion, she was already continuing. "The options are Broom Proficiency, Prayer Leader, and Intimidation."

CHAPTER 39

SWEPT AWAY

Beatrice rattled off her skill options. They sounded pretty exciting, actually. However, they were very different from the ones I had received before. Broom Proficiency, Prayer Leader, and Intimidation.

Intimidation seemed valuable for avoiding conflict. I had even used it once. Not the skill, of course, but I had intimidated those outside humans pretty well. I wasn't sure I enjoyed it, but I couldn't deny its utility. Still, I wasn't convinced that Beatrice would need it. Sure, it might help her to avoid some conflicts and continue about her day uninterrupted. However, I wasn't sure how effective it would be for such a small human. Simply put, she wasn't very intimidating to begin with. Maybe this skill would fix that, but then would she also be less nice? If not, I didn't think she would be able to intimidate the larger humans that had caused a fuss a couple of days ago, no matter how hard she tried.

Prayer Leader I really wasn't familiar with. Not just the skill, but also the concept. I thought I had an idea of what it meant to pray. It meant to wish really hard for something, kind of. I also had an idea of what it meant to be a leader, but to put the two of them together… A Prayer Leader would lead someone in prayer, yeah, but that didn't tell me anything about what the skill would do. It seemed risky to choose something so uncertain. Maybe Beatrice knew more about it and could explain.

The first option was what I was leaning toward, though. Broom Proficiency. That would be something useful that could last as long as the need to clean floors did. Which was to say forever. Beatrice had worked with a broom reasonably well already, but who knew what extra abilities this proficiency would give her. Would her dust piles be neater? Would she be able to wield the broom better? Would it give her broom a larger area of effect like my Mop did?

Before finalizing my decision, though, I thought I needed to ask Beatrice more about Prayer Leader. I gave two monotone beeps, then added on a long ascending note to indicate a question. Beatrice seemed to consider my meaning. "Are you asking about the second option? Or are you telling me to choose it?"

I beeped once.

"I'm going to assume that means the first thing I said."

I gave an affirmative beep.

"All right. Prayer Leader is a skill that I'm not super familiar with, but based on the class guide I found, it's related to Devotee. It would allow multiple people to gain experience from worshiping something when I led them in prayer. That's even if they don't have a class that would normally get experience that way. I don't think I get experience from praying myself, though, so I'm not sure how that would work."

I assumed that experience might be related to the levels, upgrades, and mutations that were so common around here. If that was the case, this skill would help people get stronger more quickly. Just as long as those people weren't Beatrice. That sounded pretty useless right now, considering that Beatrice was the only friendly being—human or otherwise—that I had met so far. Maybe she could help me level faster, but that seemed like only a shortcut. I had to be a good example and get stronger through hard work. Taking an easy path would just be selfish, especially since I was already stronger than her.

That confirmed it. Broom Proficiency was the best choice. It seemed to fit her needs best. While the others might have been useful in some circumstances, she needed a good baseline skill that she could always fall back onto. Working with a broom would provide that for her.

As I made my choice, I let out a single monotone beep. Showing her that she should choose the first option.

"You think Broom Proficiency?" Beatrice paused, looking thoughtful. "I guess proficiency skills are always good. It's nice to have at least one, though I feel bad about missing out on Intimidation. I think I can live with it. It's hard to be intimidating right now, and I didn't know if I wanted to go down that route anyway…" She gave an odd smile.

"Prayer Leader I had mixed feelings about. It just doesn't seem like my type of Devotee would normally pray. It's more about acts of service, so far. That's why when I'm serving your ideals, I get extra experience."

She hesitated slightly before continuing with a question. "Actually, I still haven't figured out what your ideals really are yet. Maybe you can help me understand?"

My Ideals? I wasn't sure why that would matter, or why she would try to serve them. I supposed if it helped her to know, I could try to explain. I would do my best to clarify if she asked the right questions.

Beatrice let out a breath before continuing. "I know I get experience through cleaning. That part seems pretty obvious. Organization and order seem to be your core values. What didn't make sense, though, was why I got any amount of experience from carrying you up and down stairs." I waited for her to continue. "See, my class shouldn't get experience from directly serving you. It should only get experience through serving the ideals you stand for. So what ideal am I serving by carrying you up and down the stairs? You didn't seem to value sloth or deference or anything like that."

I was still waiting for a question I could answer, but I was starting to understand what Beatrice was talking about. I didn't think I had a class, but it sounded like a job. Her job let her get experience for doing it. So she got job experience through cleaning. That made total sense. However, she was saying that she gained experience through something that didn't make sense. So how could I have an influence on that?

Beatrice scratched her head for a moment, before seeming to have an idea. "So I guess my question is, what are your ideals, other than order? Just beep when I list one off." Beatrice began to list things as we continued down the hallway. "Service, reading, knowledge, honor, valor, piety, grace, chastity…"

Nothing seemed to fit. Order and cleanliness were the main things I really cared about, but we had already covered them. As she went on, she got more and more detailed. Even a little desperate, if I was hearing right.

"Fear of heights? No, that's not an ideal. Hatred of stairs? The natural order of the world?"

Wait, that was something. I beeped.

"The natural order of the world?"

No, not that. I rotated side to side and answered negatively.

"Hatred of stairs?"

Yeah, that one!

"Oh." Beatrice was silent. There was an unfamiliar look of frustration and disbelief warring across her face. "Well… Okay. I don't think that Prayer Leader would work for me, then. I think that I'll have other options down the line for class skills. Broom proficiency it is."

We continued onward. I was right and the tunnel continued to curve until we were underneath that first cavern. It seemed that if this pattern continued, the entirety of the catacombs would be mostly contained within the walls of the castle and go straight down rather than sprawl out under the mountain behind. I wasn't sure why it was made like this, but it didn't seem to matter very much. I was just glad they were using ramps instead of stairs. Who would have thought they'd make the catacombs so cleaning-friendly?

It seemed like the only thing down here besides us was skeletons. They were still barely armed and often not armored. Beatrice stopped trying to experiment as much and worked really hard perfecting the "push them over and smash until destroyed" technique she had gotten so good at. For now, that would do, but she would need to learn how to use a broom properly if she wanted to make it her go-to tool. While her current skills were good for these skeletons, I wasn't sure how well she would do with another human or one of the demon mess makers upstairs.

Her first actual test was when two skeletons came around the corner at once. Beatrice glanced at me and I beeped some encouragement. I thought she could do it. Neither of these skeletons was particularly armored. One had a dagger, and the other was just holding a wooden stick. I wouldn't even call it a club; there was no thick weighty part. She would have a massive reach advantage, and skeletons hadn't been giving her trouble for a while now.

When she leveled up, she became stronger and faster like me. A single skeleton was no issue at this point. Two, though, might give her trouble. If they worked together.

And it did appear that these skeletons understood the concept of teamwork. They spread out to come at her from two sides. As much as the hallway would allow, at least. It was relatively narrow, so they were still only about six feet apart. But that still meant she couldn't face them squarely at the same time. As her opponents approached, Beatrice made a decision I thought she should have made long ago. She placed the light orb behind her on the floor. It gave her enough light to see by, but allowed her to wield the broom with both hands.

Since she had received Broom Proficiency, her abilities had improved noticeably. Models indicated that she was at least 107 percent more efficient at taking down her enemies, even discounting her push-and-smash method. The broom looked more natural in her hands, and she could strike with more force than she rightfully should with one blow. There were times when I thought the broomstick might break from the amount of force she put into it. However, it never cracked or even groaned. Still, that metal broom was a good idea. As she got stronger, it didn't matter how proficient she was at the broom. She probably would eventually break it.

Taking the broom in both hands, she settled into a low stance. I was excited to see what she had in store. This would also be a new set of data to add to my models. She swished the broom a few times experimentally as if getting used to its weight. The bristles made an odd whistling noise as they passed through the air, followed by the whoosh of the handle.

Not waiting for the skeletons to come closer, Beatrice charged the one with the dagger. The other was still close enough to cover its buddy before she got too close, so it didn't really have the same effect as it could have, but it was better than letting them come to her at their own speed. Her most considerable advantage was her weight. She had more than twice the weight of the two skeletons combined. So even though she was much smaller than them and not nearly as strong, it still let her carry them off their feet if she got a clean hit.

These skeletons seemed slightly more intelligent than the previous ones, though. Perhaps it was the fact that they were together, perhaps that they moved a little more smoothly, but they seemed to be aware of her intent. The dagger skeleton backed up against the wall to take the brunt of the force. She hit its ribcage at an angle, but with the additional support from behind, it was able to stay standing. The stick skeleton came at her from the side, forcing her to quickly step back to block a swing with the broom. She angled the bristles upward to catch the incoming stick while simultaneously pulling back the blunt end of the broom. As the stick impacted, she smashed the handle into the face of the pinned skeleton. I let out a chirp of excitement.

Holding the broom in two hands gave her some massive advantages. She had a perfect blunt force shield with bristles that could easily block and tangle up limbs or weapons. The other side was terrific for precision strikes. She could use it to hit exact joints, trying to damage or dislocate them. I feel like this part was actually underused right now compared to what it could be against a more squishy opponent. The bristles were just too good down here.

I settled back and watched Beatrice fend off the duo. My student had come so far. I no longer felt the urge to step in and help her. She had very rarely struggled in any of her recent fights. It was a little sad because I didn't get to practice against the skeletons at all. Still, the pride I felt in seeing my disciple improve outweighed the joy I would get from participating.

I just hoped that some of this broom practice would translate over to cleaning and dusting more efficiently too.

CHAPTER 40

A DUST TRAP

Bee stood above the remains of the two skeletons while Void absorbed them. She panted raggedly, barely able to catch her breath. This last encounter had been the most challenging fight yet. Sure, she felt like she was improving as they progressed, but her opponents seemed to be improving even faster. She had gotten an initial boost of competence from her skill, but since then, the speed at which she improved had drastically slowed down. She wasn't gaining levels as quickly as when they first entered the catacombs. Maybe it was because she was too close to the skeletons in levels. Or perhaps she just needed to try new techniques. Either way, when she reached level 11, level 12 felt like a long way off. Rightfully so, she thought. Most people took a year or more between 11 and 12. Bee was worried that Void had ruined her expectations regarding leveling.

Void had finished cleaning up in an instant. It made encouraging chirps indicating it was time to move on. Bee's shoulders slumped. She had expected harsh training, but this was far more than she had feared. Void was a cruel taskmaster. Well, it wasn't specifically malicious. It was just very, very demanding, and expected her to work nonstop. No breaks, no rests, no stopping to eat. Of course, it didn't need a break, but she was flesh and blood. Didn't it understand that she had limits?

It was possible that Void was testing her. Of course, she could always ask for a rest herself. After all, it had never denied her a detour to the kitchen or a break when she asked. But some part of her still didn't want to disappoint her master. Maybe it was trying to push her past those limits, just like with the combat training, and to make her realize how strong she was. Or maybe, just maybe, it had genuinely forgotten that she was only human.

She had yet to have a chance to put her backpack down and grab a bite to eat in hours. Her throat was parched, and she felt a little dizzy. With her pack secured, Bee struggled to bend over and pick up the light ball resting on the floor. She was lucky that the ball hadn't started rolling down the gentle slope. That would have been bad, as she would have been blind without it unless Void took pity on her. It would have made her surviving this latest battle much less likely.

Bee considered digging in her pack for her waterskin. But before she had a chance to shift her backpack off, they were moving again. Void continued down the gently sloping hallway, with her stumbling along after.

Eventually, Void glided to a stop in front of another archway. Judging by their path, they had reached a room almost directly below the previous one, though much further down. The arch was similar to the one in the last room but with a different inscription above it. This one appeared to be written in a different language that Bee couldn't read.

Again, Void moved to enter first. As it passed through the arch, Void activated its strange ghostly blue light to provide more illumination in the darkness than her orb could. She was briefly left alone as they separated. She carefully avoided looking too directly at Void's light; it seemed to irritate her eyes if she looked at it for too long. She figured it was using its unearthly aura or something along those lines to provide this illumination, which seemed like such a waste of a mighty power just for a secondary effect. It was something that mortals indeed couldn't behold. So she just looked at the surroundings as the light illuminated things and felt fine.

Nothing happened to Void as he sat in the room for a few seconds, so she quickly stepped after him. The floor was smooth and made of the same material as the previous room. Again, they couldn't see how expansive the space was. However, when they reached the left wall, no cubbies were cut out for the dead men to rest. They made it all the way around the room, and still nothing. The walls were featureless and smooth, though still just as vast as they had seen above. There was another archway leading out of this chamber, but they didn't go into it immediately. This time she didn't let her curiosity go. It seemed that Void didn't want to either.

She watched as her master made one of its graceful turns, pivoting in a circle as tight as a gold coin. Then, facing the center of the room, it slowly rolled forward, shining its light ahead. She followed behind. Yes, she was a little apprehensive, but the empty chamber had to be here for something. It was carved with too much precision just to be empty.

Sure enough, when they arrived at the center, there was a mausoleum-like structure, the size of a small cottage but made entirely of smooth gray stone. It was a single piece. At least, if it wasn't, the joins were so tight that Bee couldn't make them out. It was decorated with fancy silver scrollwork and etchings all over its sides. There was also a smooth door leading inside, slightly pushed inward. A large metal handle with a shiny brass ring, about a hand's breadth across, adorned the door and could be used to pull it shut.

The two of them circled the whole structure, taking it in from every angle. It was standing alone, a small and modest structure in such a colossal cavern. Why would it have been placed like this?

They completed an entire circuit finding no other entrances, just decorative carvings in languages Bee couldn't read. Taking a deep breath and holding it, she slowly poked her head inside the door, holding her light orb to see as much as possible. The inside was even more stark than the rest of the room. There was a single stone coffin in the center with no writing, no carvings, completely unadorned. It was at least four feet from any of the completely smooth walls of the mausoleum. Bee made to step in for a closer look, but Void screeched a warning. It came too late. Her foot crossed the threshold, landing on the floor with a soft thud. Looking down, she saw what she had assumed was an embellishment of the threshold made of a row of now glowing runes.

I tried to warn Beatrice. I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw the structure, but I couldn't put my bristles on what exactly. Then as she held up her light, I ran my Advanced Sensors through the part of the stone building's interior I could see from the doorway. That's when I noticed. There was not a speck of dust. Not a single one of the ever-present germs. Nothing. The place was pristine. That shouldn't have been right; there were thick layers of dust, grime, and dirt on everything else outside, and this door had been open. Plus, it looked like it had been a very long time since it had been moved. There should have been a layer of something on this. Something was wrong.

Beatrice's foot landed on the inexplicably clean surface. Then I heard something. It sounded like the tumbling of dice, or maybe me vacuuming up those tiny plastic blocks the small human loved. It wasn't nearby. The clatter sounded far off in the distance above us, but it seemed to go on forever. It went on for so long that Beatrice had time to pull back her foot and turn to me, horror on her face.

Each second it continued, she seemed to shrink into herself a little bit more until, eventually, her ears were between her shoulders. When it finally stopped, she whispered, "Oops."

I tried to figure out what we could do. I wasn't sure what was happening. However, my dustpan roiled. At first, I thought it was just nervousness from my uncertainty. But then I realized all the remaining demons were swirling as fast as they could inside me, as if in a panic. This sensation only added to my confusion. Between that and a loud thud reverberating through the chamber, I was pretty sure something terrible had happened. And then it repeated a half-second later. And then again. And then again and again and again. It was a single sound made up of thousands of individual smaller sounds.

That was ominous.

Then the lid on the box within the room began to shift slightly.

Bee cringed. How could she have been so stupid?

She heard Void's warning too late. But she should have figured it out for herself. Instead, she saw what Void did. It had been too perfect, like it was begging an unsuspecting adventurer to come closer. There was no dust, no disturbance, nothing indicating time had passed here. Only ominous warnings in the walls and ancient history were present. She should have turned around and never come down here. Now, she feared she had failed Void.

There was likely no way out of this without her leaning on his help. She had hoped that she would be able to handle these catacombs by herself. However, she had made a huge rookie mistake. Why would she, a child that was not even level 10, be able to take on something the mages had kept locked away for who knew how long? And that sound. Bee shivered in fear. She had a suspicion that she knew what it was. It was the same sound of bone dice being thrown to the floor. She was familiar with it from her father and his friends' late-night drinking. Except it multiplied by the thousands.

When she heard the stone of the coffin lid shift, she bolted. It probably wasn't her best decision. She should have had faith in her master, but she panicked. It was the first time she had panicked in a long while. Bee felt like she should have freaked out many other times these last couple weeks but had managed to remain mostly calm. Now, for some reason, everything came crashing down and overwhelmed her. Her willpower and restraint were exhausted, and she felt like she had no choice.

Her body acted on its own. It started running for the arch opposite where they came in. She couldn't use the entrance of the catacombs that would be blocked. Void let out another screech in her direction. It probably was warning her or telling her to stop, but she didn't listen. She didn't think at all. All she could hope was for it to understand and forgive her.

I watched Beatrice run. It was honestly a fairly reasonable decision. I called out, hoping that she'd wait for me. I wanted to get at least a quick look at what was coming out of this coffin, but running from it did seem like the next best choice. However, I saw the distance between us growing rapidly, and I measured her progress toward the exit of this giant cavern. If I stayed long enough to see what was coming out, I would lose sight of her. So I let out a softer, disappointed beep and zoomed after her.

I caught up as Beatrice reached the door. We started down the slope further into the depths. Once we rounded the curve and got out of sight, I moved in front of her, blocking her path. She scanned the area with wild eyes. I bumped into her ankles softly with a reassuring chime. I needed her to stay focused and in control. Even if I could get out of here and up the stairs by myself, I still wouldn't have been willing to leave her behind.

CHAPTER 41

WHAT LIES BETWEEN THE STARS SUCKS

Void pulled in front of Bee. It forced her to stop so as not to kick her master. She looked around and back over her shoulder. Nothing was chasing them yet. The irrational fear had passed, but the very rational and reasonable worries remained. Still, Void was here. She gathered a hold of herself and took a few deep breaths. Okay, I'm good.

Void let out a soft conciliatory hum. It seemed to understand that she was scared, but it needed her head in the game. So they silently stood there for a second, listening to the periodic thuds continuing every half-second above. Then, after a moment, Void turned around and continued down the gentle curving slope of the catacombs. As calm as it seemed, it moved at a slightly faster pace than before. Not so much faster than Bee couldn't keep up, though she occasionally had to break into a jog. As she followed, her heart returned to the slightly elevated rate it had been maintaining for most of this trip rather than beating out of her chest.

Now that she had a moment to think, Bee was confused. She assumed the mausoleum in the empty chamber was for the hero from the carvings or maybe one of the hero's subordinates that had been buried there. His honor guard must have been buried above or something. She wasn't familiar with the legends of these people, but it seemed to be what the images were implying.

However, this was a trap. Bee had stupidly triggered the trap, judging by how the coffin lid had moved. Still, it didn't seem like something that a hero would make. Maybe it was the presence of all the skeletons over such a long time, but it could just as easily have been some massive curse. Whatever it was, it allowed the aura of death to be so strong that things exposed to it slipped back into this world. Perhaps it was done intentionally to protect the tomb, but this so clearly was the resting place of one of humanity's first saviors. She doubted that the hero himself would have been contributing to his own protection. Unless she misunderstood something and this wasn't an honor thing. So either the setup was to protect something, or the hero lore was to bait a trap for unwary adventurers. Both were genuine options in her mind.

They continued downward, further into the catacombs. Perhaps there was another way out, further in, that wouldn't make them backtrack into whatever Bee had released. Down the spiral pathway, they continued to encounter more skeletons. They steadily grew in size, strength, and number. It helped Bee to level more, but once they started showing up in threes, she wasn't confident in her ability to take them on.

Bee had been doing fine despite the increased levels. However, that didn't last forever. When she was tussling with an unusually tricky opponent, Void let out a warning. From behind them came a second enemy. She would have heard it if she hadn't been in a fight because skeletons were not very good at sneaking. The first time that Void had to assist, it broke some of the barriers that Bee's pride had kept up. Still, Bee wasn't sure where it had come from.

Now Void stepped in to help occasionally, but in a small way. It quickly zoomed around, slamming into ankles as a distraction while Bee focused on taking one down at a time. It avoided vacuuming them right up, probably to let her keep training. Sometimes it didn't even need to touch them. It would go up behind their bony feet before she pushed the skeletons over. They would trip over the small black disk, giving her an opening to smash their legs or destroy them outright. However, some of the new ones with heavy armor were harder to unbalance.

The broom was surprisingly still effective against these more advanced enemies. Sure, it couldn't pierce through armor, but neither could her cleaver. It didn't quite have the hook of a halberd or anything, but it was excellent for tripping. The bristles could definitely catch the back of a knee and send an opponent sprawling. And once on the ground? She usually found a weak point in the armor and pried it off. Between its versatility and size, the broom still seemed the right weapon for her. The reach fixed her most significant disadvantage, and the bristles provided many surprisingly versatile options for defense and distraction. Plus, it was much lighter than most metal weapons. However, strength wouldn't limit her much longer if she kept leveling like this.

Fighting together reduced Beatrice's share of the experience but not nearly as much as she expected. With her being carried by an extremely high-level being, she should have been getting practically zero. However, she was getting maybe 40 percent of what she was used to. Void seemed to still be tricking the system into believing its level was impossibly low.

After the first few fights, Beatrice had gotten better at Scanning the skeletons every time she ran into them. Mostly they were fighter-types, but that was only sometimes the case. The ones higher up were around level 7; however, the ones down here were much stronger. Now, none were under level 10. At first, her higher level, her broom skill, and the skeleton's poor matchup had somewhat let her overcome a lack of combat experience. But now that she didn't have an advantage in stats and skills, she was beginning to struggle.

This time when they completed a full turn of the spiral, they didn't find the same dark archway as expected. There was still an arch leading into a larger room, but it seemed to be filled with an ethereal white instead. It fluttered in a nonexistent breeze, like fresh sheets on a clothesline. Bee's hand extended toward the arch, then stopped. She wouldn't make another mistake like that so soon. Void rolled forward through the arch instead. As her master touched the whiteness, it rippled slightly and moved as the black disk passed through. Beatrice quickly moved to follow, leading with an outstretched arm. She realized it was, in fact, a gauzy sheet or curtain of some sort blocking the entrance. She pulled it aside and walked through.

This cavern was much different from the previous ones. There were no obvious light sources visible. Instead, an ambient glow filled the room and illuminated every corner. It was as though the walls and floor themselves were glowing.

The floor was a pure, pristine white, gently sloping upward and coming to a mound at the top. It was a hundred feet across easily, but still much smaller than the previous chambers. The mound was maybe five feet higher than the entryway at its peak. The whole thing seemed to be made of white glass. It was slick and slippery as she walked. She had to be careful to keep her balance lest she fall on her face. Perched on the center of the mound on the very peak was a statue. It was the size of a man and almost as white as the rest of the room. The figure wasn't composed in any unique way. It was just a man standing. The man was armored, carrying a lance and a sword attached to his hip.

The white walls formed a dome overhead, but there were no adornments, lamps, carvings, or anything else interesting. The most fascinating part of the room was that she couldn't figure out where the light was coming from.

The room was stunning. Bee couldn't find a better way to describe it.

I rolled under the curtain and stopped. I was not prepared for this new room. I had seen many beautiful things in my time here, but this… Well, I might have found a new favorite room. If only it were easier to get to, I could have spent much more time here.

First of all, the place was immaculate. Not a speck of the grime from outside stained the floor here. I looked at it. In stark contrast to my other favorite room, this one had a surface made of white glass. It was like obsidian in all but color. Slick and smooth and beautiful. It was even reflective enough for my sensors to pick up my own image. I wished they hadn't. My underside was filthy. Most of the demon oil had been cleaned off when I brushed against the rugs upstairs. However, our trip to the catacombs had also caked me in dust. Distressed, I turned my vacuum on full and spun around in tight circles. The combined forces of spin and suction let me dislodge some of the mess on me, and my vacuum power didn't let it get very far. Quickly I cleaned myself as much as possible. I was still far from what I would consider a proper cleaning, but it was good enough for now. Looking at my reflection no longer disgusted me.

That taken care of, I felt that I was able to appreciate this room fully. The floor was gently sloped but not so slippery that I couldn't roll up the center mound. And in the middle of the room, I saw a statue. What was it with these designers? They would make a fantastic, gorgeous floor and stick a statue in the center. Why? It just interrupted the flow of everything. If it were just an empty room, free of obstacles, it would have been perfect for meditative cleaning. But no, they used it to display a dull statue. At least the statue was made in better taste than the one on the black floor. Where that one was some monster's image, this was of a human. Humans, I at least liked. Putting a statue that looked like a mess maker on such a fantastic floor, in any case… That was just tactless.

Losing interest in the center of the room quickly, I went to explore the edges. As I went, I noticed that there were no shadows in this room. That was pretty interesting. I supposed it was good because it would just detract from perfection. In this chamber, the walls were only a third of the width of the previous rooms. The walls were made of a slightly different white stone material, not glass. I couldn't see that until I got relatively close. I also noticed no exit besides the way we came in. It seemed like this was the deepest part of this area. We had reached the end and would have to return the way we came.

The way it looked, the floor seemed to continue past the wall. It made me question how this had been built. As skillfully as the wall joined to the floor, it looked more like it had already been there. Maybe the wall was added as an afterthought.

I spent some time just enjoying the pure beauty of the floor and aesthetics here. I couldn't decide which one I enjoyed more: this room or the black one upstairs. But eventually, I knew we needed to move on. It had taken us a very long time to get down here. By my internal count, precisely thirteen hours and fifteen minutes. Now that I thought about it, it was likely about time for Beatrice to charge. I was fine, since I had been topping off my reserves, slowly transmuting the dust I collected. So I had no problem keeping my Sanitation Lamp on to clean everything. But Beatrice would need to charge soon.

I looked around at the beautiful floors. Well, perhaps there were worse places to charge.

CHAPTER 42

A PRISTINE OASIS

Bee studied the statue carefully. At first, she thought it resembled the hero on the griffin from the carvings. However, that was not the case. Instead, the figure seemed to be one of the humans leading a legion of humanity. More than that, though, it was…lifelike. Almost too lifelike.

If Bee had to guess, she'd say that this may very well be an actual man. The figure seemed to be a man, but the mask and armor made it difficult to tell. She wondered about that. The human leaders and the hero also seemed to wear masks. Why?

He seemed to be in stasis like a fully depowered demon. Her theory's only problem was the complete lack of script circles surrounding him. Though with the examples of lost magic she had seen on their way down here, ancient humans might have had some way around that.

She couldn't prove anything, in any case. So maybe this was just a very well-made statue. Unless…

She resisted the urge to smack her forehead and instead glanced back at her master. So far, it didn't seem like Void had any way of knowing that she constantly forgot about her only active skill. Sure, she had gotten a class and a proficiency skill upgrade, but Scan was the only thing she had to activate consciously. Yet she often forgot to use it in new situations. This was not a great start to her adventuring career. Well, at least she remembered the skeletons.

Bee activated Scan, targeting the statue.

Name: ??? Race: ??? Class Type: ??? Level 40+

Well, that wasn't nothing, but it was pretty close. Bee supposed she should have been grateful that it gave her a level approximation. At least she had learned something about her skill. When she passed level 10, she could see level ranges of something up to 30 levels above her, rounded down. She wasn't sure if that was the case, but it seemed true. Nazareth'gak had been marked as 30+ before she hit level 10, so it made sense. Hopefully, she wouldn't be encountering enough level 40+ things to find out.

Still, being in this room calmed her. It made her feel as though she was protected. They had gone far enough fast enough that they no longer heard the stamp of skeletons' boots. She was curious how the skeletons she had been fighting differed from the stronger ones in the above tombs. Why were some free to roam and some not? Also, had the stronger ones appeared because of the trap she activated, or were they already there? She assumed they weren't from the tombs—no amount of broom-swinging would save her from something twenty-five levels above her. Yet more than a couple had appeared behind them on the path down, despite Void cleaning up every skeleton fragment thoroughly. So maybe they had some other source. But they hadn't seen any coffins or crypts besides the huge one.

Bee glanced around the room for other paths or hiding spots. She didn't see anything around here. Aside from the arch they had entered through, she also didn't see an obvious exit. Maybe there was something she was missing here. So far, the catacombs had only had one proper "catacomb" room. The rest had been hallways, carvings, a trap, and this beautiful monument (or person).

Looking around, she spotted Void over by one of the walls. It seemed to be intently examining something, but she couldn't tell what. She thought about the trip back upward and realized that returning likely wouldn't be a simple operation. It had taken them over a day to get down to this point. They had essentially walked the perimeter of the entire castle almost three times, since each circle downward was several miles. That didn't account for them stopping and fighting every dozen minutes. And all of that was ignoring that they'd have to walk uphill on the way back, making the trip even longer. While fighting their way through what had to be thousands of skeletons. They were way too strong for her to be of any use. At least, that was her assumption. Maybe she was missing something, or perhaps Void would take pity and help her, but it seemed like a pretty dire situation if not.

For now, though, Bee couldn't even consider planning for the road ahead. Fighting all day took a tremendous toll on her, and she was spent. She shrugged off her pack and rummaged through for some water and food. Unfortunately, she had started to become severely dehydrated. With her last bit of panic moving her forward, she hadn't thought to rehydrate or grab food for quite a while.

After she had pulled out some rations and a waterskin, she carried her backpack over to where Void was examining the wall. From what she could tell, there was nothing special about the walls, but her master knew much more than she did. She leaned against the wall and slid down until she was sitting. As Void continued to examine it, she ate, drank, and leaned her head against her pack.

She intended to talk to Void. To ask it questions and maybe get some answers regarding what they would do next, even if the prospect exhausted her. However, she realized she had already slid into a dream. It was a good dream full of freshly baked bread and her mother's comforting embrace.

Beatrice's eyes snapped open. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, but she was still in the white room. Void sat still next to her. The usual glow that emanated from the runes along its flat top had dimmed to nothing. But as she moved, they flared back to life. Void moved around a little bit, just twisting and turning as if it too was waking up, before giving a cheery beep in greeting.

She attempted to bow, but her pack prevented her. Still sitting upright, she settled for inclining her head. "I'm sorry, Master. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

It didn't give her a verbal response, instead gently nudging her leg. She took that to mean that it didn't mind. She struggled out of her pack. Constantly wearing it had become a habit, but sleeping in it was terrible for her neck. Bee gave a quick stretch and a few pained winces as she got her feet. She dug around in the pack again, pulling up a little bit of her food and water. She smacked her chapped lips, realizing how dry her mouth still was. They would have to make it out soon. Otherwise, it would be tough for her. There was no way that backtracking alone would work, not without relying on Void. But it seemed like there was only one entrance, and not even any branching corridors. But the skeletons had to be coming from tombs somewhere, right? She could only hope.

It was just one giant downward spiral forming three levels. How were skeletons getting in here, and how did they keep popping up in the tunnels?

She would count herself lucky if she even managed to make it back up to the catacombs level.

I powered off next to my human. I'm glad she took the initiative to charge. She needed it. Soon we would have to go back. I wasn't sure what was waiting for us up top, but based on Beatrice's reaction, she had some idea.

Still, it would take a while to just walk out, even at a relatively quick pace. And that was under optimal conditions. Beatrice had, for some reason, chosen to charge sitting up against a hard stone wall. That might have been fine for me and my kind, but humans liked soft squishy things when they were charging. Maybe she just preferred to charge on hard surfaces. That would explain why she had yet to use a bed. Unless she was trying to emulate my charging for some reason? I hoped not.

I hoped we had cleared out all the skeletons on the way down. I had yet to see any others, but we still needed to leave the room to check. Still, I wanted to get back up to the castle today or tomorrow. Things were waiting for me back up the stairs, things I needed to clean. Beatrice could rest in the hallway for an hour or two on the way back up, but skeletons had appeared too frequently. Of course, it was always possible that I could let Beatrice rest and fight them off myself for a while. But short naps didn't seem to help her as much as an entire rest did. Plus, she seemed to appreciate the opportunity to get stronger through these fights. I couldn't deprive her of that.

While Beatrice charged, I searched the walls carefully. I saw nothing that indicated any strangeness or irregularities—they were just beautiful walls. I left the room for a moment because the curtain struck me oddly, and I wanted to look closer. It was made of some kind of cloth, which was strange since these floors were ancient. No one had been down here in a very long time, yet the fabric had not decayed at all. Like so many things around here, this did not seem right. I would be lying if I said there wasn't an itch in my wheels, ready to get out of this place. This room, in particular, felt fine, but the whole catacombs complex seemed… Well, “sinister” wasn't the right word. Overbearing, maybe? Overly dirty? I'd need to come back and give it a very thorough once-over.

Beatrice first hydrated and then spent some time eating. With that, we began to move out. For me, the slope wasn't too big of an issue. As long as I could find purchase, I was light enough that I didn't put in any additional effort on the incline. It didn't seem to be the case for Beatrice, however. Even the gentle slope upwards proved more taxing on her. She wasn't struggling, but we moved more slowly than I had anticipated. That was okay. I had an idea.

Over this trip, I used my Sanitation Lamp nonstop, trying to sanitize everything I could. As I did, I noticed that it had grown significantly stronger again, even compared to when we had entered. Its potency had increased by 32.4 percent in the last ten hours alone. This improvement made me consider a new possibility. Could it be that cleaning didn't just increase my overall effectiveness? Perhaps the use of my individual mutations also improved their power.

I thought about how I couldn't lift a blanket when I first got my arm. Then a few doors and other grabby activities later, I could suddenly lift that weight. Had my arm been getting stronger, or did I get stronger from cleaning and training? My Mop seemed slightly more effective at pulling in liquid and hadn't seen much use. But I didn't see how that could be related to me getting stronger or faster. I was shocked that I hadn't made the connection before. Was I also getting smarter? I knew my processing speed was increasing. I'd noticed a while ago that I was now making connections that I wouldn't previously have considered. With my accelerated thoughts, I could even recontextualize my interpretation of those times when… Oh yeah. I felt myself shrinking inward in embarrassment. Let's not do that.

I did my best to push the feeling down and only consider the possibility of improving my mutations. The only other mutation I still needed to collect data for was my sensors. However, I needed to have the sensors longer to determine any change in their effectiveness. In the meantime, though, now that I had a hypothesis, I could put more effort into testing it.

I turned my Sanitation Lamp on to full. There was no liquid on the floor, but I popped out my Mop and moistened it to wipe away streaks of grime as we moved. I also popped out a particularly heavy skeleton head from my dustbin, hefting it in my Grabby Arm to exercise it with repeated upward pressing motions. Finally, with all those subroutines operating, I focused on collecting as much sensor data as possible. My energy expenditure increased significantly. It was mostly due to the lamp, but the speed at which I performed my other tasks also took its toll. Recording my efficiency at each given task, I could track their improvement and correlate it with the number of actions I took. It would be my own little research project and training session combined.

I trundled down the hallway happily. Beatrice had been trying so hard this entire trip. It felt good to do the same. After all, I wanted to improve at cleaning as well. If my idea was correct, this could be just what I needed.

CHAPTER 43

CLEAN UP

Void was making Bee a little uncomfortable. She had just started getting used to her master and its eccentricities, too. She still found it considerate and kindhearted, of course, but that was hard to remember when it waved a human skull in the air like a trophy. Maybe it was a case of an unknowable being simply not considering or caring about mere mortals' feelings. Still, it didn't exactly encourage her. Even cheering her on as she fought up the pathway took on a more bloodthirsty tone. Maybe that was just in her head, in any case.

Still, she didn't say anything. Who knew what its goals were? She certainly couldn't claim to speak for it.

Going uphill was undoubtedly much more difficult than going down; however, she had leveled up enough since the beginning of the climb. The trip was slower, but she wasn't nearly as tired as she could have been. It took her a similar effort as the descent had, which was excellent considering that there were somehow even more skeletons waiting for them on the path up.

She was starting to think that these weren't related to the trap she had triggered. They still weren't as strong as the ones in the large tomb. Plus, she realized that the skeletons were very inconsistent in dress and equipment. It was hard to tell because anything they wore was extraordinarily rusted and faded. However, when she could make things out, it seemed like their clothes and weapons were in different states of disrepair. One skeleton was even dressed in some bright quilted cloak. Well, once-bright, at least. A Scan identified it as "Skully" with an "entertainer-type" class. It was bizarre.

Bee was still wondering where these other skeletons were coming from when she saw a bony arm poke out from a stone wall. She jumped a bit. The arm was about ten feet in front of her, but it still surprised her. Quickly a single skeleton emerged. It stopped and turned its head side to side, looking up and down the tunnel. As soon as it saw them (or sensed her life force, she wasn't entirely clear on that part), it let out a chattering cackle.

Another skeleton stepped out of the wall to join the first. These were just skeletons; no armor or weapons were visible. Bee was almost grateful for the easy match. Grabbing her broom with both hands, she set the light down. A strip of cloth wrapped around the base ensured it didn't roll away. She had done this enough times that she could confidently fight multiple skeletons at once now. Well, maybe not multiple, but at least two. Two skeletons that sometimes knew how to fight together.

Bee rushed forward. They would have come at her from multiple angles if she had waited. So it was best to keep them off-balance, take the fight to one, and knock it out as quickly as possible. Even though her broom could guard against multiple angles, keeping her attention split like that was hard. She was always on the defensive if she got pinned.

So keeping with tradition, she charged with her broom bristle end first. The skeleton took charge and tried to back against the wall to stay upright, but she twisted the broom and swept it off to the side. The skeleton went flying to the ground with a hollow clatter. Keeping her momentum, Bee turned and swung the wood of her broom into the second skeleton. It was knocked off-balance, but she had lost too much force to do more than that.

Still, it gave her an opening. She darted forward to crush the feet of the downed skeleton, but it had already skittered away. The second one regained its balance quickly and stepped in her path to prevent pursuit. Unfortunately, her rush-down tactic hadn't worked, so she'd be in for a bit more of a fight. It still wouldn't be a problem, however.

Smacking herself, she realized she had forgotten to Scan these. It wasn't the end of the world, but she could roughly correlate the skeletons' teamwork with their level. Above level 10, they could start doing basic tactics, but they were utterly incapable below it and often would even get into each other's way. Around level 12, they stopped getting in each other's way and actively helped each other. That, combined with their likelihood to wear armor or carry weapons, made them a real threat to her. Still, the weakness of skeleton monsters, in general, was evident. The fact that she, as a level 11 thirteen-year-old girl, could take on two fully armored and coordinating skeletons was evidence enough.

She brought her broom up to block the hands of the second skeleton. She struck out with the end of the broom, trying to catch it in the ribs and knock it back. However, the handle missed every bone and went right through. This lack of resistance caught her by surprise. By all rights, it shouldn't have, but she'd only been working with the broom as a weapon for a day or so, and skeletons had a uniquely large number of holes in them. Teetering from the force of her thrust, she went stumbling forward.

Bee managed to regain her footing before the skeleton grabbed her. As she stumbled, the broom still stuck between bony ribs, and she bent over and lifted. Feeling the skeleton's lack of mass, she quickly doubled down and put more into the motion. Finally, the skeleton was lifted off its feet. She spun, throwing the enemy off her broom and into the wall. She could see a few of its ribs chip and crack as it fell. With one enemy taken care of for the moment, she returned her attention to the first one. It had just regained its footing. She used the momentum of her spin to smash the bristled end of her broom into its chest again. This time it slammed into the wall without time to react. It collapsed again, and she quickly stepped forward to smash its feet, scattering its little toe bones everywhere. It could still crawl toward her, but it was effectively out of the fight. The other skeleton soon met the same fate.

Bee grinned in triumph; that was quite an easy victory. Then, she looked around for Void. Usually, it cheered her on as she fought, and it sucked up the remains when she was done. However, as she scanned the area, Void was nowhere to be seen.

I watched Beatrice engage the two opponents in combat. I had confidence in her abilities, and my model predicted she had a 99.69 percent chance of success. That was as close to safe as I could ask for. She would have to handle this on her own, though, because I had something I wanted to test. I was pretty confused when the skeletons emerged from a solid wall. Walls didn't work like that. Things didn't go through them unless they were a curtain. Or a door. Or maybe they were retractable. Okay, well, perhaps some things could go through walls. But not like this.

The fact that one of these walls was not solid was a cause for an investigation. I ran outside the curved stone around where we had spotted them. As I moved, I kept my bristles slightly thwacking against the surface, cleaning up any dust along the way. But here, cleaning was only the secondary objective. A few feet from where the skeletons had emerged, my bristles started to pass through the wall. Carefully I continued along the false wall, and only 3.56 feet later, my bristles hit solid matter again.

It seemed like there was a hidden doorway here. I ran my Advanced Sensors over it. It appeared utterly normal visually, but my other sensors picked up no dirt or germs along the hidden door. Now that I knew what to look for, I had noticed the strangely clean areas before, but I hadn't thought much of it. I expected them to be less interesting. I had to watch out for such anomalies in the future.

Carefully I rolled forward, poking the front half of my body through. Once my sensor made it through, I could see what was inside the hidden area. It was a small corridor that quickly turned off to the right.

It seemed that the path Beatrice and I had been taking was not the only route throughout these catacombs. That would make sense. I remembered one of my large humans watching a documentary about catacombs under a place called Pear Iss. Supposedly it was a maze of tunnels, and people would get lost there. I wasn't worried about getting lost. My mapping feature and excellent memory storage made pathing trivial. But with illusions like this light wall, things were a bit more worrying. Now that I could detect them, I was less concerned, but what if other things could mess with my sensors like this?

It might be a good idea to explore these areas. For my map, of course, but also there could be other exciting things to find around. I also hoped we would find some way around the large noises that had appeared above us earlier.

Excitedly I poked my front back out of the illusionary wall. Oh, good, Beatrice had taken care of the two skeletons. Without any armor and weapons, there had never been a doubt. She was looking around, confused. I assumed she was looking for me. I let out a chime of congratulations to let her know where I was.

She turned and spotted me. She let go of the broom with one hand and gave me a small wave. Shaking the skeleton head I held, I waved back. I was still sticking halfway out of the wall, which might have surprised her, but she took it in stride. I quickly zoomed out and scooped up the mess of shattered skeleton bits before returning to the false wall. I motioned for Beatrice to follow, then went back into the side passage.

I had been less excited about the journey upward because we would be retracing our steps. Maybe we'd find an entirely new way with new challenges. And further information for my pathing algorithm, of course.

Bee followed Void through the hidden passage. She was a little hesitant. This passage was less than half the width of the main corridor, and she was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic. Her other concern was that it appeared the skeletons were patrolling the area, and she was not looking forward to meeting one with so little room to maneuver. Still, Bee followed. She didn't have much choice. If she were right about what was waiting in the upper level of these catacombs, there would be no way for her to get out by herself. Even if she weren't so tied to her master.

Bee bent down to inspect the illusion. Looking closely at the edges from this side, she could see that it was made from runes drawn into the stone and inlaid with the same silvery material that lined the coffins above. So whoever set up this secret passage had also laid that army of skeletons to rest.

The passage was a straight hallway like the curving paths of the previous ones. It only went back about ten feet before turning to the right. They rounded the corner and saw a straight hall stretched well past her light range. Perhaps Void had a way of telling the distance, but it didn't communicate that to her. So they began walking.

As they moved, Bee noticed some doorways spaced occasionally on either side. Peeking inside revealed modestly sized rooms. There were some fragments of pottery and rusted scraps, but it seemed like anything recognizable had deteriorated long ago. Void didn't seem too interested in exploring these rooms. After looking into a few and seeing the same story, Bee wasn't either.

It didn't take them very long to reach the first intersection. The makers of this place cut the hallways oddly, so they couldn't see a crossroads until they were almost right on top of it. Bee stuck her head out and looked left and right; both sides looked like similarly long hallways. She looked down at Void for guidance. "Which way should we go? Left, right, or straight? I can't see a difference."

It let out an indecisive screech and then just continued straight. It didn't take long before they came across the next hallway, maybe another fifty feet ahead. Void kept going straight, and Bee did her best to keep up. Whenever they would pass a conjoining hallway, Bee would look at both sides and see the same corridor again, stretching out forever. Finally, in the fifth regularly spaced intersection, she held out her hand to stop Void from continuing.

There was a patrol of two skeletons coming from the right. Bee relayed the information to Void, and it gave a soft beep of understanding. It was pitched a little bit lower than its usual beeps. However, the harshness of the sounds it made always echoed, especially in these tight corridors. Still, Bee appreciated that it was making an effort for her. Void had just been kind of a safety net for her this whole trip. But she appreciated that it wasn't making it harder than it had to be. Just because it could get away with making noise and drawing attention didn't mean she could.

Bee readied her broom. There wasn't much space in the hall to place her ash imp lamp, which was a problem. Bending down, she hesitantly placed the light on Void's back. This action might be considered disrespectful and get her smited; however, she had a hunch that it wouldn't mind. Even though the ball wouldn't roll away on the floor here, they were still corners, and she wanted to be able to see fully.

Broom held high, Bee charged around the corner to engage the skeletons. Void followed quickly behind and bathed the area in a yellow-orange glow. It just sat at the center of the intersection with the lamp radiating light. The fight didn't last long. With a few swipes of her broom and an occasional stamp, all that remained were shattered bones. As Void came in quickly to clean up, she bent down and retrieved the lamp.

After they finished, they continued on their path straight down the hall. Running into enemies was a relatively rare sight. Over the fifteen minutes it took them to reach the end of the corridor, they ran into only three other pairs of skeletons. None of them were particularly difficult to deal with. They were level 12, but most had no weapons or armor. Bee started to wonder about the names associated with these skeletons as she trained her Scan ability on them. Were they randomly assigned, or were these the names of the humans that these skeletons had once been? Well, that wouldn't make any sense. The names "Skully" and "Skelly" sounded quintessentially skeletal. She couldn't imagine any person being named that. Some other names, like "Leon" or "Mina," were more plausibly human, in any case. Just another mystery to add on.

Bee and Void eventually reached the end of the corridor. Instead of one of the now familiar four-way junctions, they were met with a narrow flight of stairs winding upward. Bee considered the stairs and looked to her master for guidance. "So what do you think? Should we see what's up there or continue exploring down here? I don't see any reason to stay here. I'm still getting a decent amount of experience, but not nearly as much as I used to."

We eventually reached the end of the corridor. Beatrice posed a question that I didn't quite have an answer to. I didn't think there was any reason to stay on this level. I was just as eager to get back to the castle, and this seemed like it could be a quicker path up. But on the other hand, I liked exploring these side quarters because we were not retracing our steps, and I could clean as we went. The more we explored the area, the more concerned I became. It was massive. It would be a huge chore to clean this area, much less keep it that way. Even if I could do that, I wasn't sure I'd have time to clean this and the castle above on a regular schedule. At least, not unless I became orders of magnitude more efficient. I wasn't ruling that out—some incredible things had happened recently—but as I was now, I considered putting this project on hold to keep the castle livable.

After coming to terms with the mess that would remain here, I rolled toward the stairs, indicating my choice. I would come back to fully explore the area once I was more confident in my abilities. Beatrice graciously lifted me and carried me up the stairs. It was a short spiral staircase, which I was grateful for. I only had to be held for a short time when we got to the top of the stairs. This floor was almost identical to the one below, except for the additional stairs spiraling up from the landing we stood on.

She set me down so I could indicate our next course of action. Should we continue going up this way or go back onto the ramp? As much as I hated stairs, they did seem pretty efficient here. Considering the length and depth of the spiral ramp, it would only take about a dozen of these stairwells leading upward before we reached the large room with the trap. The time savings would be…about 67 percent, at our current pace. Though walking upstairs might be less pleasant for Beatrice. And for me.

Don't get me wrong. I was happy that we'd found a much more efficient way of going up than following the ramp up. However, I wasn't super happy about going up this many flights of stairs.

Nevertheless, in no time, we'd make it to the level of the second chamber. With that analysis done, I indicated that we should continue up the stairs further. As we made our way up, we luckily didn't run into any skeletons. Beatrice was so gentle when she carried me, and I didn't want that ruined by her being stressed and swinging around a broom. However, they sometimes showed up near the landings or nearby halls. Beatrice took the initiative to get rid of them when possible before we continued our journey. I hoped that these stairs might lead up to the entrance. If that were the case, we might avoid the source of that loud noise we had heard. If not, that might be an issue. But I was optimistic.

I was curious to see what we would find above.

CHAPTER 44

THE PATH OF PURITY

"This is as far as we can go," Beatrice panted. We had gone back and forth through the hidden tunnels of this top level, looking for other exits. However, the only thing we could find was a false wall passing into the long sloping tunnel right before the cubby-filled room. Carefully I rolled out of the "stone" wall to take stock of the situation. I wanted to avoid the main path as much as possible, and it seemed that Beatrice shared my desire. The sounds we heard before were now silent, but it still worried me.

Rolling so just part of my sensor stuck out, I inspected the mausoleum. I quickly rolled back to process my findings. The room was packed with skeletons. They stood in orderly ranks, shoulder to shoulder, every single one with a helmet, full armor, and carrying weapons. They were better armed than any of the skeletons Bee had faced, and there were many, many times more of them.

This was not a foe we could fight our way out of. And it looked like there was no way around this checkpoint. Beatrice looked at me expectantly, and I rotated back and forth in a "no" gesture as quietly as possible. Slowly I rolled back deeper into the tunnels. I rolled as slowly as possible so as not to let the sound of my whirring motors carry far. I wasn't sure how much that would matter, since I didn't know what kind of sensors the skeletons had. But it couldn't hurt.

Once we had gotten far enough away from the army, I let out a soft, descending beep. Beatrice grimaced and whispered, "That bad, huh?"

I gave her a short confirmation. We would need to find a way around or some sort of distraction. Otherwise, we would be in trouble. I didn't think my vacuum could suck up all of them with their heavy armor, especially if they held onto each other. I could probably get myself out by sucking them out of position and trying to run my way through their legs, but I didn't think I'd be able to pull Beatrice along with me.

Bee knew things were bad when Void slowly rolled away, not making a sound. After their short conversation, she needed to look for herself. So she crept back and poked her head around the corner. Yeah, they were screwed. There had to be at least a thousand skeletons in there. Every coffin they had passed must have emptied out here. Even worse, they had weapons, armor, 15 to 20 levels on her, and probably additional intelligence to match. They didn't flinch when she looked, so she must have been outside their life-sense range. It was good that this false wall was a bit further down the ramp.

She retreated to where Void still sat. Bee wasn't exactly sure how to proceed here. She was sure Void would be able to get out itself—this many skeletons might pose a challenge even for it, but not a real threat. Still, the fact that it hadn't simply obliterated everything suggested that it wanted her to try and escape herself. Her shoulders slumped a bit at that. There was no way she could do this alone.

Maybe Void was testing her? Seeing if she knew her limits well enough to ask for help? She glanced over at her master. If that were the case, she would have to figure out a middle ground. Some small favor or action from Void would still give her an opening to escape. Then she could practice her tactics and truly test her limits. But even then, she wasn't sure how she would communicate that. So maybe it'd be best if she came up with a plan, and then it could tell her yes or no. She also might get more experience that way. It was worth a shot. Assuming she survived, of course. She assumed that she would as long as Void was willing to participate. But if it let her do this "training" alone, she might be in trouble.

"I think I'm going to need a distraction," Bee mused. "I'm not sure how much you're willing to help me, but maybe that's a reasonable ask? Maybe something like that huge rat thing you released before."

Void gave a thoughtful screech. It paused for a second, and then Bee saw a brief flash of a demon's glowering face and fangs appear from Void's back. She jumped back, but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. That was unnerving.

Calming her nerves, Bee grinned. "That would be perfect, Master. Based on those carvings, demons are natural enemies of the heroes buried here. Maybe they'll fight each other."

Void chirped in agreement and rolled toward her slightly. Bee mulled over the plan forming in her head. "Okay, if you release a few demons into the hallway, they'll likely charge the skeletons. But if they run away, that's also fine. Either way, the skeletons would probably pursue them, right? If not, maybe they'll cause enough confusion that we can just run through them. Then I wouldn't have to fight them." She pictured the scenario in her mind. "Actually, it seems unlikely that all the skeletons will run out at once… Maybe if you're willing to send out multiple demons, you can space it out to draw some skeletons off each time?"

Planning was arduous when your partner didn't talk. Still, it sounded like a good plan. "That's the best plan I can think of without relying on your strength too much. Unless you have a better idea in mind?"

Void rotated side to side as though shaking its head. Bee sighed. She had hoped she had missed some easy, less dangerous solution here. It didn't sound like it, though. "Could you release the demons while I sit in the side tunnel? Then, once enough pass us, I'll try to run through. Does that sound alright to you, Master?"

In response, Void rolled forward, back toward the central passage. Well, crap. Bee wasn't ready.

"Wait," Bee desperately whispered after it. Void stopped and turned back to her. "I want to make some preparations first. Potions and the like. They should help me keep up with you."

The two retreated further into the network of tunnels and found a mostly empty room. Bee softly closed the door behind them, though she was sure they were too far away for the skeletons to hear. She set her pack down and pulled out her alchemy equipment for the first time since she came into this dungeon. She was fortunate that nothing had been damaged. The pack had more than once taken a blow or fallen outright. But the linen she had used as cushioning seemed to do a good enough job of protecting everything.

As she set up the equipment and organized the bags of ingredients, Void cleaned off a surface for her to work. Once it did that, it idly cleaned the rest of the room. She appreciated the assistance.

There were a few things that Bee wanted to prepare. First, she'd make a few speed potions. Those would increase her movement speed and allow her to dodge faster. While she hadn't tested them before, speed would be critical here. Even if they only made her a tiny bit quicker, it could be the difference between life and death here. Still, she wasn't sure if she could keep up with Void. It seemed to move faster than a horse, and she wasn't sure if that was at top speed. Though she hadn't run all out since she had leveled up, either, so she really wasn't sure how fast she was. She smiled to herself. She was excited to find out, even with the imminent danger.

While she had everything out, Bee mixed a few batches of smoke powder and other distractions she had researched. They might not fool the skeletons, but they could distract the demons if things went wrong. Plus, it never hurt to have more tools at her disposal. She also prepared some healing salves, just in case. They were slow acting and would lose potency over time, but they would be better than nothing if she was really hurt. Especially if she actually made it out.

Altogether, mixing these potions took her an hour and a half. It was longer than she would have liked but better than expected. These weren't exactly the best circumstances for testing a new recipe.

Bee packed away the last of her equipment and looked over to Void. It had been pacing the room doing its whole glowing, mopping, skull-waving routine that it had made a habit of recently. "Okay, Master, I think I'm ready to go." It chirped a happy note and rolled to the door, opening it for her.

Together they made their way back to the illusory wall. Bee crouched a little ways behind the illusion while Void rolled ahead. It looked back at her briefly as though making sure she was ready. Then it glided forward.

My human's plan sounded good. I was glad that I could help with it, actually, since I was starting to feel like she was doing all the work here. Except for the cleaning. Though I guessed that was the critical work. Still, though, she had become so self-sufficient during this trip. Really, I was proud of her. She was planning to make her repair glue and whatever other interesting stuff she had brought materials for. I wasn't sure what the golden-yellow liquid or the gray-black powders she made were, but surely they would be useful.

Hopefully, we could get many skeletons to chase the demons down the hallway. Unfortunately, from what I had seen, the demons would likely attack rather than run. Either way, as long as Beatrice ran quickly after me, maybe I could help clear a path for her with my vacuum.

As I rolled out to the center of the hallway, I checked my dustbin. Fourteen warm masses roiled around inside. The lesser demons I had captured so long ago. I thought Beatrice's second idea of letting out a few at a time would be best. They were small things, but they were pretty quick, so they would be able to escape pursuit for a while. Also, if the skeletons only recognized them as minor threats, they might not immediately send everything after them. Maybe I overestimated the skeletons' tactical skills, but it was better to play it safe.

I selected a couple of demons to release. I sprung them loose as I reached the hall's center, trying to eject the mess makers toward the skeletons.

Again I was confused. Just like with the small fuzzy mess maker, the demons didn't look anything like the small, black-furred apes I remembered. For one, they were no longer identical. The first was a scaly behemoth. It was larger than any humans that had rudely attacked Beatrice by eleven inches. In addition to its height, it also had curved horns and sharp claws. Yellow eyes with vertical slits glared, and its pointed teeth gnashed as it spotted the skeletons ahead. The second demon was much harder to notice. It was not much larger than Beatrice, but it was black and seemed to shift with the shadows. I couldn't really make out its exact shape.

Despite how different they looked, they both made the same screeching sound as they whirled around to glare at me. They seemed upset. I wondered if that's because I put them in time-out for so long. Well, in my defense, they had made a pretty bad mess. And tried to attack me. So really, what did they expect?

Before I had time to wonder about their appearances, both demons charged at me. The large scaled one crashed forward like a boulder in a river, whereas the shadowy one flickered like a flame in a smooth, gliding motion.

I let out a panicked beep and started to reverse as fast as I could.

Bee watched as the demons seemed to be stretched and pulled out from Void's back, landing in front of him. She didn't exactly know where it was summoning things like this from. Still, she was pretty intimidated by these two and the giant rat monster. According to a Scan, they were an advanced shadow demon and a reptile demon. Both were in their mid-twenties in level. These were way far above anything that had awakened in the castle yet. Maybe it had collected some of the demons that were still in stasis and were keeping them… somewhere? In its stomach?

Like all plans, this one went immediately awry once the demons were released. Instead of attacking the skeletons, they turned on Void.

If she had needed any more convincing that Void was not a demon, this would be it. They were trying to challenge or even fight Void, meaning they weren't servants or under its direct control. Her master had, at some point, overpowered them. And they hated him for it. Void taunted them and then led them down the hallway at breakneck speeds. Perfect, it was adapting the plan. As soon as the skeletons spotted Void, they shifted. But when the demons came out, they moved.

The skeletons weren't exactly marching so much as running in step at a full sprint. Perfectly timed feet caused the ground to tremble as they raced down the hallway. A deafening rhythm of clattering bone and clattering metal shattered the quiet of the tomb. Beatrice ducked back under cover as the skeletons streamed past her. Even at their speed, it took a full minute before the last skeleton passed. As the sounds receded slightly down the hallway, she poked her head out to see the army vanish in the dim passage. She checked the room to see if it had indeed been that easy. Unfortunately, there were still a few skeletons remaining in the mausoleum. But it seemed that they had only left a token force.

A group of ten skeletons remained to block the path up from the mausoleum chamber. That was still a lot, but it was way better than she had hoped. She wasn't concerned for Void. Her master could take care of itself. She didn't see how these comparably weak skeletons could harm it. Even so, she felt a little bad leaving it behind as she approached the mausoleum. She was very sure she couldn't fight this many skeletons. Even if they were her level, it would be too much. But all she needed was an opening to get through them. It didn't seem like more help from Void was coming, so she needed to figure this out.

Pulling out her broom, she advanced on the squad of skeletons and prepared for battle.

CHAPTER 45

A BRUSH WITH DEATH

I raced away from the demons. But, unfortunately, it seemed like the skeletons had joined in the fun. Everyone wanted to chase the little robot vacuum down the hallway. I didn't think I was having nearly as much fun as they seemed to be. Then, of course, I realized that they weren't actually playing a game and probably intended to rip me apart piece by piece. But thinking of them trying to play chase really helped me stay calm.

Even while fleeing, my sensors could calculate each party's speed. It seemed that I was faster than both the demons. The lumbering one definitely couldn't keep up, but the shadow could out speed me in short bursts. Thankfully, I could maintain a higher top speed for a long time, which I was very grateful for. However, it appeared that the skeletons were even faster than me, let alone the demons, so the chase didn't last very long. Maybe a minute in, the first line of skeletons caught up to the larger demon. This forced them both to turn around and fight their pursuers off. I released a massive puff of exhaust in relief and slowed my pace a bit.

Still, who would have thought that I had two massive killer demons in my dustbin instead of a bunch of small ones? Actually, what had happened to the others? I checked and realized I still had twelve demons in there. Something odd must have been happening in my dustbin. It was like how my small fuzzy mess maker came out so much different than I remembered. It's almost as if they were growing inside me. That was slightly concerning. If they grew powerful enough, would they be able to escape?

As scary as those two lesser demons had become, I was pretty sure I could still take them if they hadn't been chased by a literal army of hostile skeletons. But it was still a considerable risk to let them be. If these two were angry, the other twelve wouldn't be different. I couldn't release them here, even as distractions. They would be dangerous to both Beatrice and me. Plus, who knew how big of a mess they would make in revenge? To be safe, I started transmuting the remaining demons one at a time. Each time I did, I felt my battery surge. The first one completely topped me off, and the next made me vibrate rapidly. I felt the air around me crackle with electricity. With each additional demon transmuted, the tunnel filled with more and more flickering blue lights. Energy swirled within and around me. I felt myself becoming stronger and faster. My processing speed increased dramatically again.

The voice came offering me a new mutation, but I could barely hear it over all of the crackling and static. The energy threatened to overflow, overwhelming me to the point where I could barely focus. Still, I pushed ahead, feeling like I was about to burst. The charge built up until I had transmuted ten of the demons. Then, the energy exploded out of me. I was shot like a projectile back toward the skeletons.

With the force of a cannon, I slammed into the first one, having been completely lifted off the ground by the power of so much energy being expelled from me. This was not what I intended, but with my souped-up processing, I instantly made a plan to adapt. I turned my vacuum on as I made contact. I passed through the skeleton without resistance. Then the next. Then the next. I flew through line after line of bony figures without slowing, leaving a cloud of white pulverized bone in my wake. With each impact, I felt more and more energy pour into me. The halo of electricity I had felt was much larger now, damaging the other skeletons and sending them jittering everywhere.

I turned my vacuum up as far as it could possibly go, and it completely outpaced my expectations. Everything around seemed to bend and shoot toward me with a whoosh. The voice yelled at me again, but I still couldn't hear it over the roar. My little vacuum entrance struggled but managed to take in an astonishing amount the whole way. All the skeletons, their armor, the remains of the demons, everything just vanished into me. Huge squiggles covered my vision incomprehensibly. Some part of my processor registered that I really needed to ask Beatrice what they meant.

At some point, I skidded to a halt across the floor. It was over. I sat all alone. Everything else that had been chasing me was pulverized and gone. Sparks still flew off my wheels, and continued to do so for a solid 10.63 seconds.

I was stunned. Who knew I was sitting on so much energy just in my dustbin? And how had I sucked up that much around me? That was unheard of. With this level of suction, I needed to be careful. But in theory, I could clean entire hallways by just going through them once. Of course, I might rip everything off the floor and walls and destroy the room, but maybe I could become more precise as well as more powerful.

The voice came back. It sounded a little less impatient than it normally would be at this point.

LEVEL UP x12, LEVEL 32 REACHED. SIXTH MUTATION REACHED. SEVENTH MUTATION REACHED.

CHOOSE TWO MUTATIONS.

I knew that was a lot of energy, but twelve levels… That seemed like a lot. It had taken Beatrice this whole trip to get half of that. But it was a much more impressive display than a lot of things I had previously done.

Out of nowhere, Bee suddenly got a huge chunk of experience. An incredible amount. More than she thought you could get at once. She was just about to engage the skeletons, and suddenly, her level shot up from 11 to 15. At the same time, she heard some sort of explosion behind her. Void must have done something. But what—

The shockwave hit. Both the skeletons and Bee were blown off their feet, sending everyone sliding halfway to the mausoleum in the center of the room.

Void must have been angry. Unleashing a power like this seemed completely overkill to wipe out a few demons and skeletons. Perhaps the demons had tried to betray her master?

It didn't matter. She flew to her feet and dodged through a gap between the skeletons before they fully recovered. Then, without looking back, she started running up the ramp. Maybe she could outpace the skeletons and find somewhere to hide above.

However, fate wasn't so kind. Bee heard the rumble of footsteps from ahead. Though the footsteps didn't sound like bone. They sounded like something larger. Still magically enhanced, Bee drew her broom. She hoped that she could surprise whatever this thing was and dodge around. Preferably before it knew she was even there. Soon enough, she saw it. An undead monstrosity was charging down the hallway directly at her. It looked like a giant rat, but with festering wounds and patches of fur matted with blood. She prepared to fight, but it skidded right past her and kept running down. Strange. Void would have no problem dealing with it, so she just let it go.

Beatrice continued up the ramp. She ran with her hand along the wall, hoping to find another side passage and some stairs. But no such luck. After a few minutes of running, she started to slow down. There would have been no way she could have maintained this pace even a few levels ago, but now that she'd hit level 15, she could move much faster.

It would take her a while if she really had to go up this entire ramp. It had taken them hours to walk down, so she slowed to a light jog. This pace would hopefully be more effective for a longer time. She had heard soldiers passing through her hometown talk about marching pace, and this was what she imagined it would be. When she slowed down, she considered the prompt calling her attention. She needed to choose a new skill.

She was pretty glad Void was not around this time. She wasn't sure that its suggested skill choice would have aligned with what she wanted. And sure, that choice may have been the right one last time. But still, there was something to be said about choosing your own skills.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 15 REACHED. CHOOSE A SKILL: IMPROVED PATHING, IRON BONES, SWEEPING PROFICIENCY.

The voice told me to choose two, but it only gave me three to choose from first. So while I knew there was another mutation I'd have to choose, I didn't know my options for the second one. That was a mild inconvenience. Since it had become apparent how valuable these things were, I didn't want to waste any. I had been lucky so far that I had chosen the best skill each time from instinct. I couldn't count on luck to be with me much longer.

One of the many things I had to get Beatrice to teach me was anything she knew about these mutations. I didn't understand some of these at all. When thinking about my options, though, one stuck out right away. Not because it was great, but because the others seemed awful, but since I didn't know what they did, I hesitated to just toss them out without proper consideration like I had before.

My options were Spray Bottle, Undead Dominion, and Demonic Presence.

I thought I knew what a Spray Bottle was. I had seen humans use them for cleaning, so it was definitely the lead choice. Meanwhile, Undead Dominion wasn't a concept I was familiar with. I could piece it together based on the individual words, but what the skill did might be slightly different. For example, "undead" would mean things that are no longer dead. I assumed skeletons fell into that pile. And so far, they had been relatively useless. "Dominion" usually meant to have control over some area, and I didn't have any interest in controlling skeletons.

Demonic Presence. I didn't particularly like demons, from what I had seen from them so far. And I certainly wouldn't want any gifts to give to them. Really, what kind of mutation was a demonic present? Actually, multiple presents. The voice had said “multiple presents.” I didn't want to become a gift to demons, especially not multiple ones. I wasn't sure how that would work, but it didn't sound very pleasant. I'd pass. I guessed the process of elimination just left the Spray Bottle. Making my selection, I felt the Spray Bottle mutation appear behind my front bumper.

There was no "extend" command like the other mutations. Instead, there was just a simple command of "spritz." I activated it, and some liquid flew out of my front, leaving a light sheen on the tile. I knew this option was awful. It just shot liquid. But I still extended my Mop and swiped it up. Drawing it in, I analyzed the composition.

This didn't seem to be water. My sensors returned an interesting entry. Apparently, it was sodium hypochlorite. I didn't know what that was, so I dug a little deeper, and it said it was a solution of sodium, oxygen, and chlorine. That wasn't helpful either. Perhaps it was a cleaning material. It did seem to leave the ground that it was sprayed on exceptionally spotless once I wiped it up.

Looking at the Spray Bottle functionality a little bit more, I found that I could actually eject other liquids I had sorted inside me. But the default liquid sprayed was this solution. And it seemed I only had a small amount of it that slowly refilled up from nowhere. That was odd. Well, I suppose it could have been worse. Now I wouldn't need to draw in water every time I used my Mop without liquid.

The voice seemed much more polite than it usually was. This time it let me experiment with my mutation for a few minutes before prompting me to choose again.

CHOOSE.

Okay, I get it. Just let me get the last little bit of liquid outside my reach. I tried to roll forward and found I couldn't. One of my wheels just wouldn't move. This was quite disturbing. The other would rotate, but this one was seized up somehow. I ran a system diagnostic to find the issue and became even more distressed. My plastic shell was cracked, some of my Advanced Sensors were providing corrupted data, and there seemed to even be some exposed wiring in my undercarriage. I couldn't tell much else because of all the damage. But I was in need of repair. I hoped Beatrice would come back soon. Otherwise, I might be in some trouble.

I struggled to use my Grabby Arm and one working wheel to move forward. I could inch forward a bit, but it was slow progress. I extended my Mop for all it was worth trying to get the last little bits of liquid and finally managed to clean the entire mess. That's a lot of work. At this pace, it would be very slow progress making it up around this bend.

Well, I wasn't going anywhere for a while until Beatrice came back for me. So, having nothing better to do, I looked at my next mutation options: Automatic Maintenance, Spider Climb, and Tesla Coil.

Okay. Sure. Now give me three awesome things to pick from. I was almost quite upset.

I knew what spiders were. I had seen them climb on walls and ceilings. If I could climb like a spider, I would be able to clean everything. I might even be able to… No, I couldn't get ahead of myself. It seemed utterly unfair that I got all the good options at once. I would have loved a Tesla coil as well. I wasn't sure what to use it for, but it sounded cool anyway. This was a hard choice. Perhaps the options got better the higher-leveled I was?

I felt my stalled wheel. My situation seemed to almost force my hand. As much as I wanted to pick Spider Climb, there was no way I could pass up the first option in my current state. Pining over the alternatives, I idly wondered how Beatrice was doing.

CHAPTER 46

TIME TO CLEAN

I sat on the floor motionless for quite a while. I could feel my systems knitting themselves back together, slowly but surely. The problem was that my new Automatic Maintenance mutation did not indicate how long my repairs would take. At least, not in any way that I could understand. When I chose that option, a couple of squiggly lines appeared in the upper left corner of my vision. They were next to small pictures of gears. I was reasonably sure they held some meaning, but the squiggles next to them were utterly indecipherable. Though they did look similar to something Beatrice had looked at previously.

There wasn't much I could do in this state. I wanted to conserve energy just in case it would speed up my recovery. So in the meantime, I was just waiting for my wheels to propel me forward again. After a few hours of this, I discovered that I didn't like waiting. Specifically when I couldn't clean while I waited. I hadn't been able to sanitize, mop, vacuum, or even explore. I had to just sit here in this open hallway with not so much as a skeleton to keep me company.

The only thing besides my internal clock that changed was those new squiggles next to the gear pictures. I noticed that the pictures frequently changed, pretty much every second. Now that I paid closer attention, they changed exactly every second. So, with nothing better to do, I began to study the squiggles just to see if I could make them out.

There were six individual squiggles. First, two squiggles, then two dots stacked on top of each other, followed by two more squiggles, two more dots stacked on top of each other, and two final squiggles. These six individual squiggles seemed to be part of this pattern. And after observing it for a while, I thought I might understand the pattern.

Every single second, the rightmost squiggle changed. And then every ten seconds, both the rightmost and the one directly to the left of it changed. That would happen six times, and then the last three squiggles would change. Then, after ten repetitions of that, the last four would change.

It might be crazy, but what if this was the human representation of time? Instead of an up voltage and down voltage, as everything should be represented. Watching the squiggles more carefully, I realized there were ten distinct squiggle shapes. It made no sense, but they could use a base ten number system instead of the base two I knew. I didn't understand why they would do that. It just seemed much more complicated. Still, that would be a way to represent a number between zero and nine. Unless there was some weirdo that started to count at one. But I was sure humans had a concept of zero. It wouldn't make sense otherwise.

So the rightmost squiggle would count down ten seconds. And then the one to the left of it would count how many times ten seconds had passed. Then the weirder thing would happen: it would count minute hours, with a maximum of six squiggle possibilities in that digit. I supposed this was probably the best way to indicate the time for a non-electric being.

With more careful study, I started to identify the ten individual squiggles and the numbers they represented. The only thing that left me stumped was figuring out whether the numbers counted up or down. I knew whether each digit was a zero or nine, a one or eight, and so on and so forth, but I couldn't tell which one was zero and which one was nine. It was four hours into my analysis when I realized that the two leftmost numbers had stayed the same. That was the key. I could see that the last number had become a nine or a one. If it changed and the number to the left also changed, we were probably counting up. But if only that second number changed, we must have been counting down. Furthermore, I would know what zero looked like. Then I'd be able to decode the rest.

I vibrated with excitement. This was the most exciting thing that had happened in a long time. Well, maybe not the most, but this would be a huge discovery. Eventually, the squiggles changed once more. The leftmost number didn't move. I inwardly celebrated. We were counting down. Now I knew which one was zero, and watching the numbers tick away, I could figure out with high probability what the other values were. The only issue would be if these numbers weren't correct for some reason. Like if it started with an offset and then counted down. That seemed unlikely, so I was going to assume that I knew what zero was for now. Based on the historical data, it only took me 0.03 seconds to figure out one through nine.

Okay, so it seemed like the timer was counting down. Also, based on my new info, I had a little under eight hours before it hit zero. I wasn't 100 percent confident about what would happen at zero, but I had an idea. I could feel my repairs progressing very slowly. If my hunch was correct, they would be finished right when the timer hits zero. I still had almost eight hours of sitting around, not cleaning anything. Just to check, I tried using my Sanitation Lamp and Grabby Arm to train while I waited. However, that added one to three more hours to the timer, depending on what I did. I supposed I would just have to be patient, then.

I hoped Beatrice would come back soon. I didn't go into sleep mode because if she came around the corner, I wanted to be awake to greet her.

Bee considered her options carefully. She immediately ruled out Sweeping Proficiency. She didn't need another proficiency skill even more specialized than Broom Proficiency. That might disappoint her master, but she was definitely going to take advantage of this and choose something more immediately helpful. She hoped it wouldn't care too much.

That left two options: Iron Bones and Improved Pathing. She really didn't want to choose Iron Bones. There were many reasons, but mostly it just wasn't the direction she wanted to take her to build. If she had wanted to be a tank getting into fistfights, she would have taken Brute as a class. Instead, she wanted more magic, and she wanted to embrace Devotee. That strategy was where all the best builds came from.

However, Iron Bones was tempting for other reasons. First and foremost, she was tired of breaking her own brittle and non-metallic bones. It had happened twice in the last month alone, and it wasn't an experience she wanted to repeat more. There was also the lack of information she had on Improved Pathing. But its name made it seem like a navigation skill. That was something that no adventurer could pass up. Many of the guides she had read when researching her skills and classes insisted on at least one navigation skill. Perhaps it could also be used for fighting multiple opponents at once or even running away.

Bee mulled over the options. As much as she would like to avoid being hurt, she figured that her best defense usually was a good escape when it came to fighting. Plus, her healing salves had been effective so far, so getting hurt wasn't the end of the world. Especially with Void around to protect her from the most dangerous stuff. So she probably didn't have to choose a skill right away, but she wasn't sure when Void would catch up.

Once her master learned of the choices, it might end up insisting on something like Broom Proficiency again. Sure, it had worked out well so far, and she couldn't complain. However, it just sounded dumb. And she wasn't a maid. It was a silly reason to turn down a skill. Bee considered that perhaps this was why not many thirteen-year-olds were choosing skills at all—way too much risk of picking something that sounded cool over something practical. Though Beatrice steered away from that line of thinking quickly. By the time people had to choose a level 15 skill, they were usually well into adulthood.

But still, if it had been up to her, she probably wouldn't have chosen Broom Proficiency. Even though, in hindsight, it was clearly the best choice. Her thoughts were still indecisive.

Finally, she went with her gut and chose. Likely her master would have chosen differently. Still, between the other two options, she had an inkling that her new Improved Pathing would have been the choice it most approved of. At least Bee wouldn't be a total disappointment.

Bee had been walking for quite a while at this point. It had taken her a long time, but she started to get a sense of her Improved Pathing skill. At first, she wasn't entirely sure how to control it. First, it had told her to move back and forth between the walls, slowly pushing her way up the hallway. It honestly seemed like a distinct downgrade in pathing.

Still, giving it the benefit of the doubt, she'd tried following the route for a little bit. But still she gained nothing. It just seemed to be a very, very slow way of progressing up the ramp while covering every single square inch of it. Eventually, she'd focused on her skill and her goals, putting particular emphasis on wanting to leave the catacombs quickly. It took her a couple hours to get it right. Still, it eventually showed her a particularly straight line up the hallway. "Showed" might have been the wrong word, though. She just knew that if she continued this way, she would return to where she wanted to be faster, out of the catacombs and into the castle.

She had just gotten the skill and was still pretty low-level herself, so it wasn't the most effective thing. Hopefully this skill would grow, because it gave her no idea of how far away the exit was, how viable the path was, whether there were any obstacles, or whether this was actually the most efficient route out. So it honestly seemed pretty bad as a navigation skill. There was no choice, though. She was half-hoping it would show her some side passages or a stairwell like Void had found on the previous floor.

But it seemed the best route she could take was just continuing up the tunnel. So as Bee walked, she kept her hand trailing on the inside wall of the spiral. Perhaps she would get lucky and feel an illusion on her way up.

Her travels continued for several hours. She stopped and took breaks, occasionally sipping the last bits of her water and nibbling on her food. Without her master to push her on mercilessly, she didn't make as good time, but her speed also ensured that Void would catch up with her. What first was complete confidence in its pursuit slowly trickled into a bit of doubt. After several hours, there was still no sign of her master.

It didn't take me the total twelve hours of repairs that my timer initially estimated. At least not before I could move. With still five hours left in the timer, I could start rolling at a slow crawl. It wasn't much, but still, it was better than nothing. Slowly I made my way up the tunnel after Beatrice. I was only able to meander along at speeds similar to what I could manage before coming to the castle. At this rate, it would probably take me many hours to make it anywhere.

I wasn't that far down the tunnel from the mausoleum, so it didn't take long to get back up to that point. I trundled in like one of those "snails" that occasionally invaded from the outside. But instead of leaving gross slime, I left a trail of spotless stone behind me. Even if using my vacuum a bit meant I repaired more slowly.

I found an odd sight about 15.8 feet behind the entrance as I entered. There were several skeletons in full armor with weapons sitting in a circle. Not on guard, not sprinting, and not attacking anyone. Instead, they seemed to have gathered around what looked like the no-longer-small fuzzy mess maker. How did that get here?

The fuzzy mess maker that had attacked the humans was chattering its jaws at the skeletons, who were nodding and chattering back. It was quite the odd sight. They seemed very engaged, maybe even entertained. I slowly edged around, careful not to disturb them and sticking to the shadows. I was lucky they were so engrossed with their conversation that they didn't take note of little ol' me. My black chassis blended in with the shadows quite well, and with my low speed, my usual whirring wasn't audible.

It started off slowly, but as my repairs progressed, I got closer and closer to my previous speed. Soon I was moving much faster than Beatrice could walk. It was still not nearly as quick as I could be, but I was at least hopefully catching up. I was worried about her being on her own for so long. That had never ended well.

CHAPTER 47

GETTING DETAILED

Bee had hoped Void would catch up to her soon, but there was still no sign of her master. This left her in an awkward position. She poked her head around the corner into the catacombs level. Even knowing its capabilities, she might have started to worry. Still, there was no sign of any skeletons coming up from behind her. Indeed, that was promising.

Looking into the massive room, she could make out much more this time. The oppressive darkness from when they had first entered this room seemed to be gone. Her light source still didn't illuminate the entire cavern, but it no longer felt muted and contained. She would need to do some research when she returned to the library because it seemed that once the skeletons had left, so had the oppressive doom.

It was really disappointing, but she would have to go through it alone. Ordinarily, she would have just waited for Void. The tunnel had been safe so far. But she was low on food and water and probably needed to get out sometime today or tomorrow morning, before she started having issues. So without second-guessing herself anymore, she crept out into the open. Of course, sneaking might have been pointless if her enemies had the ability to sense life, and she was carrying a massive light in her hand anyway, but still. She did her best not to make a sound. It wasn't entirely rational, but it made her feel more secure.

Bee stayed near the center of the room, away from the walls. If there were still skeletons in the cubbies, she didn't want to risk raising them. Best not to disturb them if she didn't have to. She remembered that they hadn't actually explored the center of this room. So she was equal parts curious and cautious as she worked her way toward it. It took her a minute or two of quiet walking before she saw there was indeed something in the center. It wasn't a mausoleum this time, but it looked like a raised dais with an altar on top. The dais was maybe six feet high, and there were no stairs leading up to it. From this side, she couldn't see any way up. She also couldn't make out what, if anything, lay at the top.

This side of the dais was entirely blank and smooth. It didn't even have any natural patterns or marks from tools. Edging carefully around the corners, she found that the other sides were similarly featureless.

Bee had a choice: keep investigating the dais or leave and continue upward. Well, she knew what she wanted to do. It might be rash, but many of the things she had done recently were rash. In many ways, indulging in such things might have been the only way she felt in control of her life at this point. So instead of continuing for the exit, she took a closer look.

She had confirmed there was no easy way up, so she looked for alternatives. Looking for a place she could climb up or something she could use as a stool, Bee paused and remembered what had happened in the mausoleum with the trap.

If someone climbed up there, the protections might assume they were a trespasser or were here for riches. The skeletons would spill out, overwhelming them instantly. It would almost be a worse trap than blocking the exit like the one she had triggered. Considering this, she stopped and thought, then looked over at the walls.

She couldn't see the cubbies from here, but she knew many skeletons had been released from the earlier trap. There might not have been any more skeletons here. If so, it would be her best chance to get a good look at any sort of carvings or information up on this altar. To find out, she'd have to test it.

It was a risk. But this was a risk more consciously chosen and better calculated in Bee's mind when she compared it to some of the other risks she had already taken. The knowledge this place had given her didn't include a way to deal with the Lieutenant, but it had given her a place to look. So really, was it much more of a risk to investigate this place? Or to wait for the Lieutenant to wake when she was unprepared for it?

Still, she didn't have to be stupid about this. Changing her mind about an earlier decision, Bee walked toward one of the walls. It was better to find out if there were still skeletons guarding this place by disturbing a few, rather than accidentally causing a bunch to come out at once. Right as her light hit the wall, she stopped. It was still far away, but she could see into the cubbies. They appeared empty. Each and every one. She paced down the length of the wall and didn't see a single skeleton. That was one side clear. Then, deciding to be thorough and not risk being more stupid than she had to be, she made her way to the other side of the room. Repeating the process, she found no skeletons. One cubby at the very end, though, had something left behind in it.

Holding her light up, she looked a little closer. Inside was something small and shiny that had caught the light. Looking closely, she saw a chain of silver glittering in the amber light. It was threaded through a dull black pendant. The pendant was dark enough that it didn't reflect light well, but not the otherworldly black that Void was. It was simple, shaped like a teardrop, and about as large as Bee's fingernail.

Bee reached her hand into the cubby. She didn't think it would be a trap. This was too subtle and easy to miss. Carefully, she pulled the chain out and held it dangling in front of her. Nothing happened, and she breathed a sigh of relief. When she looked closely, she saw that the chain was silver but not tarnished. She wasn't sure if it had been preserved or was actually some metal other than silver. The pendant, though, was more complex than she first thought. Sure, it was a dark-colored stone, but its setting and face were intricately etched. She couldn't quite make it out in the light, but it seemed to be a foreign language. Gingerly, she slipped it into her pocket. She'd have to look at this more closely later.

Now confident that there were no skeletons left to ambush her, she returned to the dais in the center of the room.

She tried to reach the top of the ledge by standing on her toes but could barely touch the lower lip with her fingertips. Beatrice was tall for her age but not nearly as tall as a fully grown adult. Still, she had the experience and knowledge of a child that didn't take no for an answer. She had climbed many things that she probably shouldn't have. Slipping her pack to the ground, Bee hopped up and could barely grab the slippery lip. She tried to pull herself up, but it was difficult, even with her newfound strength. Dropping back down, she took a few steps back. Then she ran forward, kicking off the wall and launching herself up. Her hands made it above the edge, and she pulled herself up using the momentum of the move. Part of her chest made it onto the dais' top, and her belly soon followed as she flopped forward. Panting with effort, she rolled over onto her back on the platform.

Realizing that she could have just gotten herself into a precarious situation, Bee got to her feet. In the center, what she had thought was an altar was more of a podium. Other than that, the surface of the dais was utterly featureless.

On the podium sat a book. It was bound in pale leather, with blocky black lettering on the cover and a thick layer of dust coating it. The pages were thick and yellow but perfectly cut. Bee took a closer look at the cover. The lettering was of an alphabet she didn't recognize. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She recognized the alphabet, but she couldn't read it. It was similar to the writing on the archway she couldn't read further down.

Something was odd about this. Not just that she couldn't read the language, but the letters themselves. They were too perfect, almost like they were carved into stone. She doubted that a human's hands could have made them. Closely examining the book from every angle, she couldn't see anything besides a leather-bound book on top of a simple stone surface.

With an abundance of caution, Bee reached out and flipped the cover open to a random page. The lettering was square and blocky. Every line was perfectly straight, with the exact same amount of spacing between it and the next one. Every letter was exactly the same width. There were no places where the ink wavered as a hand cramped or a quill needed refreshing. Who wrote this book?

It was slow going as I made my way up this ever-increasing incline. I hadn't realized how much I had grown used to Beatrice's company. While cleaning, I could dive into myself and enjoy my work, but this was boring. I had to limp up the hallway. I moved at a plodding pace. I didn't even have the luxury of a job well done. I tried to clean as I went, and the same thing happened as when I tried to use my light or exercise my arm. My repair timer started increasing, and I did not want to wait longer than I had to before I was back at full functionality.

By the time I reached the first level, I could tell my repairs had made significant progress. I still had several hours, but my state didn't hinder me nearly as much as it did previously. My pace increased too, and I had started going faster than I knew Beatrice could comfortably maintain, so I could catch up with her soon. I hoped she was okay. It was nice to see that she had apparently managed to skirt past the group of skeletons in the second layer without being noticed. Still, I didn't believe her luck would last.

I was using my advanced scanners to watch the area around me. That was the only thing I could do that didn't seem to increase my repair time further. However, I couldn't extend them for a very long distance yet. But every hour or so that I kept them on, I noticed I could reach a little farther. I would have liked precise numbers on my range increase, but it seemed somewhat variable. Either that, or I still needed to collect more data to have an exact correlation between the time used and any improvements. The expansion rate also seemed to change when I investigated different things with my sensors, so it might have been in vain to even hope for such a formula.

When I first rolled into the first level's room, I didn't notice anything. But as I moved toward the center, I caught Beatrice on my sensors. Oh good, she was fine and safe. However, as I got closer, I realized she might be in a slight predicament. There was a single raised platform in the very center of the room. It was way too tall for Beatrice to climb up or down, yet she stood on top. Honestly. She never ceased to amaze me. At least she wasn't getting attacked again.

I had to help her find a way to get down. At a distance, I circled around the giant platform so I could keep my eye on her. There was no easy way up or down. It was 6.04 feet of slick wall on any side. I supposed she could try jumping down, but I didn't want her cracking apart. I still had yet to find her any replacement parts.

On one side, I saw her satchel lying on the ground. Seeing that nothing had approached us yet, it was probably safe to make myself known. I was here to help. I tried to convey that message in a greeting beep to reassure her.

Beatrice looked up. She had been studying something intently, but I couldn't see what from this angle. When she saw me, she smiled and gave me a little wave. I popped out my Grabby Arm and waved back. It was really lovely to see her. Now I just had to help her out of this predicament.

CHAPTER 48

DRESSING DOWN

Turned out Beatrice wasn't in as much trouble as I first thought. Truly I envied the versatility of human bodies. After waving hello to me, she carefully dropped something down onto her pack below. Then she grasped the ledge, swung her feet over, and carefully lowered herself. Finally, she dropped the remaining distance and landed in a crouch. I cheered her graceful show of acrobatics.

"Hello, Master." There was a cheery grin on her face. She seemed to be in a good mood. I had to say I was too. It was quite pleasant to see she had made it out all right. In fact, looking at her, she seemed entirely undamaged. Considering her state every other time she went off on her own, this might have been a first. "It's good to see that you're alright. I assumed that the mighty explosion was your doing. But without any other sign of you catching up, I have to admit I started to get a little worried. But how could I expect otherwise?" Beatrice's face brightened suddenly. "Oh, I reached level 15!"

I let out another cheer of congratulations. Fifteen was good! It was even further behind mine than she had previously been, of course. Still, she had yet to destroy nearly as many skeletons as I had. It seemed a little unfair, given how much harder she worked, but I supposed the only thing I could do was continue to help her the best I could.

Bee shifted her gaze to the side." I already chose my skill. I picked up something called Improved Pathing. I wasn't sure exactly what it did, as it wasn't a skill I was familiar with from any of the books I'd read, but it seems to have worked pretty well," Beatrice elaborated. Improved Pathing, huh? That sounded like a promising skill. It was one I was almost envious of. I was pretty good at planning paths, but I'd had to work hard and clean countless rooms before becoming good at them. But for her, getting such a helpful skill so easily was excellent. We would be so much more effective. And maybe if her skills improved with use as my mutations did, she could also avoid danger and gain more functionality.

At first, I was a little caught up in her new skill, but the other important part of her statement registered soon after. She had read about skills in a "book." This further confirmed my suspicions. These books seemed like my built-in protocols but were understandable and transferable between humans. They contained knowledge about more than just floor plans as well. This only increased my desire for Beatrice to teach me about squiggles.

Ever since I had figured out the numerical digits 0 through 9, I had noticed them cropping up everywhere. Humans sure liked to use numbers more than I had given them credit for. For example, the large squiggles that floated in the corner of my vision when I cleaned something or defeated a mess maker were numbers. I wasn't sure what they were for, but they seemed to be calculating a total of something. I also noticed numbers in many places when I went through my memories looking for matching squiggles. Unfortunately, I needed more time and energy to do a full scan of everything. Still, prominent everyday things like the TV or the ticking clock turned out to be heavily reliant on numbers.

My musings were interrupted by Beatrice holding an item out to me. It seemed she still needed to finish filling me in on her adventure. "I also found a few things in this chamber, Master. Like this book."

She held aloft a heavy book that was of a pale tan color. It was precisely 4.56 inches thick, an entire standard deviation above the average library book I had encountered. There were not-squiggly squiggles on the front but blocky representations of squiggles. I recognized all characters from the deepest arch but needed to figure out the meaning. There were no numbers, though. Urging her to explain more, I let out an inquisitive chime.

"Well, I don't understand this language yet. I'm not even familiar with the alphabet. Still, I hope the library will have something on it, and maybe I can work on translating the title, at least. I think the whole catacombs were constructed as a security measure for the Lieutenant. I feel like this book might have some answers to my questions about it."

This bit of information gave me quite a few things to think about. First, the concept of an alphabet was foreign but sounded relevant to understanding these representations of ideas. Also, the notion that more than one existed had not occurred to me. And the fact that Beatrice didn't know how to read this one was a bit disappointing. However, she could use the library to learn to read another one of them, which made learning one "alphabet" all the more critical.

That could all be taken care of once we got back to the library. I began to roll toward the ramp at a comfortable place; Beatrice fell into step beside me. We began to work our way up to the castle proper. It was about time we returned. We needed to catch up on our cleaning.

Harold steeled himself as he stepped into the outer chamber. This room was accessible only through secret passages deep beneath the King's Castle. These passages were so ancient and well-hidden that even the King was likely unaware of them. But Harold was, and he had business down here.

His meeting with the King hadn't gone very well. He winced at the still-fresh memories of his dressing down. He didn't expect this next one with the Warden to go much better, but it had to be done. Outside the Warden's study door, there were two guards with metal faceplates that concealed their identities. They made no move as he opened the door between them.

The door swung inward smoothly on well-oiled hinges. Inside was a simple room; a desk and two chairs were the sole furnishings within. Calling it a desk might have been a bit generous, though. It looked more like a farmer's dining room table and a couple of chairs that might have matched his neighbor's table. The chairs weren't facing each other over the table; they were positioned sideways, facing a small fire crackling in the hearth. The far chair in the room was already occupied by a man dressed in dark robes with a hood hiding his face.

Harold shut the door behind him. As he made to sit down, the hooded figure removed his cowl. So much of this was a ceremony. The Warden's identity was meant to be a secret from all but the inner circle. However, Harold had known his identity long before he joined that circle as the dean of demonology. It was still best to keep up appearances. But now that the door was fully shut and they were alone, the pretense was exhausting.

The Warden was not a young man. In fact, based on the number of wrinkles that decorated his brow, he looked to be in his eighth decade. Harold knew that couldn't be right, though. The man had aged much since taking on this position—too much. But despite the aged and sagging face, his eyes still blazed with intelligence and intensity. An intensity that Harold did not look forward to being the focus of. He felt sweat begin to bead on his brow as he started his report.

The Warden sighed. He had a headache. Again. At this rate, they might as well be chronic. But no, he still had occasional blissful moments when things went right. When someone else showed just enough competence that he didn't have to personally come in and clean up their messes.

Usually, his meetings with Harold were just a formality; a simple letter would have done fine. Harold typically never needed permission that wouldn't be granted to him automatically. He never asked for extra funding and had yet to come to him with a true disaster. From what he had heard, though, that was likely to change.

Of all of his inner circle, Harold had been one of his favorites. But he was starting to regret his judgment. As he looked at the man sitting next to him, he leaned onto the table with one hand to rest his chin in his palm. "So let me get this straight."

As the Warden spoke, he stared into the fire. But his words were pitched perfectly so Harold would have no problem hearing them. "You, the head of demonology, messed up summoning an archdemon so badly that you let loose an unclassified, more powerful demon."

When he sensed Harold opening his mouth to defend himself, he gestured his other hand sharply, cutting him off. "And your response to such a blunder was that you and all your staff fled the castle. Leaving the demon unchecked by probably the only people capable of dealing with it within weeks of travel. So not only was the demon released, but you also left the Lieutenant completely unguarded with a creature that would have every possible motivation to free it."

With every word, the weight pressing against the Warden's temples seemed to increase. "I'm going to ask you a straightforward yes-or-no question. Don't want to hear any explanations or excuses first. Is this what happened?"

Harold made an audible gulping sound. "Yes, sir."

The Warden turned to take a look at Harold's face. The blood had drained away, leaving the other man deathly pale. He wasn't looking the Warden in the eyes; instead, his gaze was distant as he stared into the fire.

The Warden sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "Okay, now that we have the basics, I'd like to hear your rationale. And it better be bloody good."

He heard Harold take a deep breath. "In hindsight, there might have been more we could have done, but the decision seemed sound at the time. I still stand by it. We ran because there didn't appear to be anything we could do. We had already flung our most potent demon repellents. We tried all sorts of various magic items on the summoned being. Nothing had an effect. It didn't even slow down when it broke through our strongest circles, as if it didn't register that they were there. Whatever it was is so far beyond us that even if we had stayed and fought, surely we would have all died."

By the end, Harold's voice had taken on the edge of desperation and fear.

Hearing this did not please the Warden. As much as he liked Harold, he would have preferred his subordinate to be completely incompetent. At least then, there would have been a chance that the situation was being overblown and that the threat wasn't really so severe. Harold being wrong would have been much preferable to a threat so dire that the demonology department couldn't even think to contain it.

The Warden closed his eyes. But unfortunately, that headache wasn't going away anytime soon. "And the Lieutenant?"

"Its protections had been refreshed recently. Even if the first thing it did was remove those protections, it would still take months for the Lieutenant to awaken. So we still have some time. But if we weren't able to repel this new foe, there's no way we would have been able to do anything to further contain the Lieutenant. We couldn't match the original restraints that held him in place. So there's nothing we could have set up that it couldn't break through just as easily as everything else. Nothing that would have lasted longer than the month, anyway." Harold took a deep breath before continuing. "If we have a force powerful enough to subdue the new threat, we should be able to regain control of the Lieutenant before it wakes."

Well, at least there was a chance. The Warden considered. It would be difficult to convince the King that they needed to deploy the army so far away from the capital when the country was being threatened by their neighbors. But everything that Harold had said pointed to this as the best solution. They would need a lot of manpower to take this thing down, and with the current state of the war, their best and strongest were too far away to make it in time. Sheer numbers might be their only chance to take down a demon of this power. But to convince the King, the Warden might need to let him in on the secret of the Lieutenant's presence. That was something he didn't relish doing, but that might convince him, whereas some vague threats of an unknown foe from the demonology oddballs would not.

So many regrets played through the Warden's mind as he and Harold watched the fire for a bit longer.

CHAPTER 49

DUST DEVILS

Bee followed her master up the last ramp out of the catacombs. She was exhausted from all the exertion and trials of the last couple of days. She was looking forward to a nice nap. Perhaps she would move a mattress into the library so she wouldn't have to sleep on the floor again.

It was a long walk, but it seemed to fly by as she became lost in thought, considering everything she had seen. It felt like she had learned so much yet knew even less than she had previously. A lot of the evidence down there contradicted the myths of her people. It appeared that the church didn't tell the whole truth about history. Also, it seemed that humans could get much more powerful than anyone believed possible. Yet, despite all these new pieces of information, she was still no closer to learning how to defeat something like the Lieutenant. Nazareth'gak seemed like it had been defeated by vastly superior numbers of much more powerful troops than she had any access to.

Without leaning on Void's help, she didn't think there was much she could do. There were a couple leads, but to use them, she would need to identify and then learn a language she had never even heard of before. So her work was really cut out for her.

By the time Bee and Void reached the stairs leading up to the iron-banded door, she was about ready to collapse from all the walking she had done. However, when they were about to open the door, she heard strange noises. It seemed that they were not alone in the castle anymore.

They were not noises that Bee was familiar with, but she had a sinking suspicion she knew where they came from. One of the downsides of going into the catacombs was that she had lost the ability to monitor the other demons that might escape. On the other hand, Bee probably knew enough alchemy at this point that, with some references, she could redraw the containment circles. Still, Void had decided to leave them as training for her, and she had resolved to let them escape.

She wasn't going to lie, the thought of destroying them while they were still recovering had crossed her mind, but there were a few reasons she wouldn't do that. One, because she wouldn't get nearly as much experience from an incapacitated foe, so she was better off combat-training against them. And two, because if Void had really wanted them to be destroyed, it would have done so itself.

She wasn't going to assume the same thing about the Lieutenant. Sure, she might risk interrupting her master's plans that way. Still, she certainly wasn't ready to train against the Lieutenant. It seemed worth the risk of annoying her master to prevent the Lieutenant from escaping, no matter what Void's plans were.

But it would have been best to fight the demons as they escaped one at a time rather than now when they could all be loose throughout the castle. She hoped that just one or two of them were making noise. But she didn't believe her luck would go so far.

Reaching the base of the stairs, she picked up and carried her master to the top. Once the noise subsided, she cracked open the door and peeked outside, checking to see if the coast was clear. There was no apparent danger in sight, so she set her master down before closing the door after them.

Void let out a small screech and rolled away.

When Beatrice set me down, I was aghast. I took in the sight, the horrifying sight of dust everywhere. Much more dust than should have accumulated in two days' time. Not only that, but there was also dirt caked over every surface. It was pounded into the stones, and some places had a coating of it all over everything. What could have possibly caused this?

Without wasting a moment, I turned my vacuum on as soon as possible. It was much stronger than normal, and as I moved, I could see that dust was being pulled from a massive radius around me. I turned it up to only a fraction of what its power could be to protect the decorations and rugs. Once it was on, I moved toward the carpet that ran down the center of the hallway and out the main door. I steadily increased the power until I noticed the carpet ruffling quite furiously underneath me. Any more, and I would start to damage it.

I looked over and saw Beatrice, hair whipping in the breeze. She was staring at me with a shocked expression on her face. I supposed this power was a bit much. It would help me clean the room faster, but I was worried about knocking things askew on the walls too. So I toned it down 54.5 percent, finding the perfect balance between efficiency and caution.

Still, the entryway only took me a few passes to clean. Not only was I cleaning the floor, but if I went up against the wall, I also cleaned a good bit of the dirt off the wall. I checked the side rooms, and they were not nearly as bad. They looked like no one had stepped in them for a few days since we had last cleaned them. No one had passed through the narrow doors. At least, nothing that had caused all this dirt. Finally, I cleaned the entryway at the base of the stairs. It only took me forty-six seconds. That was only 20 percent of the time it would have taken me before.

While I worked, Beatrice just watched me. To be fair, there wasn't much for her to do, as this was pretty simple. But she also started looking up at the stairs, and when I was done, I joined her. Unfortunately, the stairs were a mess. This was a significant issue. I couldn't clean the stairs.

That might have to be Beatrice's job, but it looked like she had her work cut out for her because the amount of dirt tamped down on the carpet was excessive. Even the stone next to the carpet runner seemed like it would require quite a bit of attention. But if the rest of the castle was anything like this, there would be a lot of work for me to do, too, just to get the place in reasonable order. We probably would have to make multiple passes throughout the castle. Perhaps she could get started on cleaning the stairs while I cleaned all the floors. Then we could go through with a fine-toothed comb to ensure everything was cleaned up.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar from somewhere up the stairs. Oh, right, whatever was causing this mess needed to be dealt with too. That probably needed to be done before we cleaned anything, or else it would just cover the area in another mess. Looking back, I started to make connections that I had missed earlier. So those lesser demons came from the smaller cages. And those smaller cages were ringed by circles. These circles were in patterns. Sure, while they were mostly dust and white powder, those patterns might mean something. The other cages were also ringed with powders. Perhaps those cages had something in them too?

Some of the comments Beatrice made earlier that I hadn't understood started to make sense to me now. I needed help understanding the mechanism for containing these mess makers and the reasons for it. Still, the idea of releasing them made sense if the mechanism involved those chalky, powdery circles. How messes kept in mess makers…

But if I took that at face value and realized I had erased chalk circles around many other things, those might have had a similar function. Oh no. Maybe this mess might have been my fault. I would have to work extra hard to rectify my blunder.

Beatrice looked at me. I rolled toward the stairs and stopped, waiting for her to pick me up and carry me. She let out a long breath before picking me up and trudging up the stairs. It seems like she needed to charge. I hope she didn't leave to take care of some of these demons, though. They sounded louder than the previous ones, and I didn't think she would be able to recover while they were running around. Loud noises seemed to disturb human charging.

So she set me down, and I began to lead the way to the library. Hopefully, it was still undisturbed, since the doors were shut. Perhaps I could leave Beatrice there so she wouldn't get hurt while I went and dealt with some of the mess makers?

Right as we were about halfway down the main hallway, something significant lumbered into view. I could see dirt raining down from it, tracking the mess everywhere.

I let out an angry screech as I charged full speed right toward it. My vacuum whirred furiously on high power.

Slowly, the giant mess maker turned to face me. My suction tugged at it. I could feel the pieces of dirt that fell off it change directions toward my vacuum. However, my suction was not powerful enough to budge the giant creature.

As I zipped toward it, I considered how I would damage it. I didn't have a sword or other heavy counterbalance to knock pieces off of it. I thought my Mop would only help a little, as the being wasn't made of liquid. I could try batting at it with my Grabby Arm, but that seemed inefficient. My best solution was still the vacuum itself. As I got closer, the suction became more intense. I could see pieces of the creature being pulled off and floating away from it. I couldn't move the whole creature, but it seemed that my presence tore off small chunks. I turned my vacuum up as high as I dared, and the rate at which it disintegrated increased. It seemed I was taking a negligible bit of it. Still, it would be entirely gone in about fifteen to twenty minutes of me being in close proximity.

However, I doubted it would let me do that. As I zipped around it, trying to stay close, I took the sight in. It was a hulking beast and moved like it. The demons I had seen before looked like hairy, small chimps—aside from the two that had come out of my dustbin, of course. This appeared to be a gorilla made of sand. The sand was multicolored in shades of brown and black. Still, aside from the general shape, there were no distinguishing features on the monstrosity besides ridges and impressions on its surface. Despite this, different shapes and formations constantly shifted and disappeared along its body. As I observed, I saw something resembling a face pass across its head, and something else almost claw-like.

I was lucky that it wasn't swift. It spun around, trying to keep me in its sight, but it couldn't even turn as fast as I could speed around it. Eventually, it just gave up on that tactic. Instead, it placed one lumpy limb on the ground and spun in the opposite direction I was going. It appeared to be trying to sweep me off the ground. However, I was too fast and just retreated a little ways away from it. But as my distance increased, the stream of particles coming off it stopped.

Before it had a chance to go after Beatrice behind me, I darted back in. This dance was set to continue for a very long time unless something changed. I tried to mix it up. I couldn't get my Mop safely near it. In a last-ditch effort to speed up this encounter before some unknown factor came along to mess it up, I turned my Sanitation Lamp on the creature.

CHAPTER 50

SOIL SUCKING

Bee watched as Void danced around the earth demon's blows. The demon seemed utterly lost as it spun around, trying to follow the small black blur nipping at its heels. In fact, she might have said that its blows looked clumsy, but that was only in comparison to Void's darting form. Still, that didn't mean that the monster was harmless. Every time a fist or foot hit the ground, she could feel the vibrations even from a dozen yards away. It wasn't quite enough to crack the granite, but if those blows were directed at her, she would be squashed instantly.

Bee was relatively certain that Void was not playing with the demon, but it sure looked like it was. She watched as small parts were methodically ripped off from the tremendous earthen mass and consumed by her master. It was not a fast process. Of course, such a foe was beyond her ability to damage, but her master seemed to have no issue.

Bee belatedly remembered to Scan the earth demon. Sure, she had Scanned them when they were in cages, but she wasn't sure which one this was, exactly, and it looked more powerful than she would have expected. The results confirmed it.

Name: N/A, Race: Earth Demon, Class Type: Tank, Level 32

She already knew most of the information, but “level 32” was the critical part. It was more than twice her own level. Dirt scattered toward her from a wayward blow, and she took a couple more steps back to avoid it.

Void's illumination showed forth brightly. Bee averted her eyes as the ghostly light made them itch more intensely than before. From the corner of her vision, she saw a bright spot appear on what must have been the demon's chest. Strangely enough, the illuminated area seemed to cave in slightly, as though it was being corroded by the light. It seemed that her master was done playing around.

Frantically I danced. Every second it felt like I was courting death by a hair's breadth. The giant beast's arms came down repeatedly, thundering all around me. Only with my improved cognition speed and quick reflexes was I able to stay just ahead. My vacuum slowly siphoned away the creature's mass as I stayed as close as possible. But that wasn't the only way I was weakening it. Every time its fists slammed into the marble floor around me, more pieces of it went flying. I altered my paths slightly to collect as much stray material as I could before it was re-absorbed by the mess maker. As it attacked faster and more fiercely, more and more of the material making up its bulk disappeared into my vacuum.

More than even that, though, my Sanitation Lamp seemed to be way more effective than I expected. On full power, the demon's body seemed to almost dissolve wherever it shone. This effect was also greater the closer I got. My calculations indicated that at a distance, the Sanitation Lamp accounted for 7.8 percent of the mass loss of the demon. However, closer up, it accounted for 21.2 percent. That meant it was scaling even better than my vacuum, though the vacuum was still doing more overall. That was very odd. I'd have to do some more testing later. It was draining my battery, but nowhere near enough to cause me concern about lasting through this fight. I don't think I could run out of energy even if I tried before defeating this thing. No, the much more likely outcome would be me being crushed instead.

In a last-ditch effort to speed up the process, I tried spraying it with my new Spray Bottle. Unfortunately, the liquid misted out in a too-small puff. I had to move out of the way as its arm passed through the mist. There was no visible effect as the liquid came into contact with the dirt making up its body. That was too bad. Now that it wasn't my mortal foe, I had come to appreciate how effective liquid was at getting rid of dirt. I was hoping it might wash away this creature made of dust. But it seems that the quantity wasn't enough to do anything. Maybe as with my other abilities, it would get stronger with use and levels. However, for now, I stowed away the new tool.

We'd only been in this dance for ten to fifteen seconds now. Still, I could already see that the creature's total mass was significantly reduced. I estimated it to only be 97.3 percent of its previous volume. That meant that if this continued, I would win in about five to six minutes. The creature might not be completely vanquished, but it would be small enough that I could probably suck it up more wholesale. However, I wasn't sure I had the time. I didn't know if this creature had any friends or, worse, if it would realize it was losing and go for Beatrice instead.

So far, it mainly ignored Beatrice, choosing to focus on me instead. I was doing my best to be a distraction, but I couldn't be sure that would last forever. A particularly close blow sent me flying forward. It had missed my rear by millimeters, but the shockwave hit me hard enough to jolt me off my wheels. I flew through the air for a few feet before touching the ground and regaining control. I had no choice. Between needing to end this quickly and wanting to be safe, the best option was to weave between its legs, getting closer than I had dared this whole time.

There was a good reason for that. As I moved between its legs, trying to find the best places to hide, it started stomping its feet. It didn't seem to see where I was, which was my only saving grace. If it had been able to locate me, I surely would have been pancaked, but its stomps came essentially randomly. The constant threat of being crushed wasn't the only issue, though. The shockwaves of each step shook the ground, making me lose my grip briefly on the floor. This made it slightly harder to twitch out of the way of the next strike.

I looked at the carpet fluttering in the breeze from my suction. These were desperate times. I would have to risk damaging it to end this. I cranked my vacuum power up to the max. The wind howled. It seemed to lash at the beast. At this rate, it would be unable to damage me in less than a minute.

It seemed the mess maker was intelligent enough to understand if it didn't change things, it would fail. However, it didn't want to go down without a fight. So the next thing it did was drop to the floor. Next, it tried to crush me under itself in a giant belly flop. The sudden cease of crushing blows was the only thing that gave me a warning, but it also was the only thing that let me get out from underneath it. It only took me a fraction of a second to process what was happening, and I used it to make my escape.

Sure, I was no longer in danger of being crushed, but I also was not damaging it nearly as effectively. Finally, it stopped and looked at me for a solid second. This gave me a bad feeling.

It swiveled and turned around. Only then did I realize that it had gotten between Beatrice and me. I had come out on the wrong side of his feet and was no longer protecting my charge. It raced toward the stairs, and I followed after it at full speed. I wasn't sure what I could do, but I turned my vacuum on high and tried to take off as much of it as possible. I cared even less about keeping the carpet intact now that Beatrice was in danger. It didn't seem like I was capable of stopping it, but I could do as much damage as possible.

I hadn't thought it was intelligent enough to see that I was protecting her. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe it just thought I was too annoying to deal with and wasn't worth fighting. However, it didn't matter now. I had a human to protect.

Luckily Beatrice had decent self-preservation skills. Seeing the beast charging at her, she turned and leaped down the stairs as fast as she could. The demon was right on her heels. She ducked into one of the side rooms and slammed the door shut as it landed at the foot of the stairs. The door didn't seem like it would be enough to stop the beast, but it might give her more time. It started hammering on the door, trying to break it down, but it was having surprising difficulty getting through. This castle was really made of strong stuff. Not only was it high quality and beautiful-looking, but it was built to last.

I stared down at them from the top of the stairs. I was helpless. Without someone to transport me down, there was nothing I could think of to affect the fight further. As the creature battered at the walls and door, the only thing I could do was turn my suction on full power. I could see a small stream of dirt heading toward me, but it was insignificant compared to before. It would be a long time before it made any appreciable difference.

Bee leaned against the inside of the coat room door, panting. She could feel the door shake as heavy fists repeatedly pounded into it. The demon seemed to have slipped past Void as it played with it. These doors were solid oak, but even she didn't think that would hold it back for long. With her master trapped at the top of the stairs, she didn't think she could count on help coming either.

She looked about the room, trying to find some way out of this predicament. She cursed her terrible decision. If only she had gone through the other door, that side led to servants' corridors, she could have possibly escaped through those. Unfortunately, this was just the coat room. And there weren't even any coats here.

She still had her pack and her broom, but that was it. As good as she had gotten with her broom, she didn't think she would have the strength to do any damage to a level 32 earth demon. And she definitely didn't have the speed to survive a prolonged confrontation. Inside her pack, there wasn't much left of her supplies except for the alchemy kit. But wait. Quickly, she shrugged out of her pack and started digging through it. She still had a few potions she had made earlier. She hadn't needed them for the skeletons, but maybe they could help now. There were a couple of the distraction ones that made smokescreens and a speed potion. This might just be enough to get her past the demon. Quickly she downed the speed potion.

She felt her reflexes and muscles react as though electrified. Finally, they were ready to respond, and even as she started getting ready to fling various distractions, she noticed the difference in her hand speed. Propping the pack against the wall to retrieve later, she prepared to fling open the door.

Before grabbing the handle, she dropped one of the smoke bombs. Then she opened the door and tossed another one right at the demon. They both broke, immediately billowing out grayish-white smoke. Then, using her newfound speed, Bee dropped into a slide between where she thought the creature's legs were. Judging from the fact that she wasn't immediately clobbered, her distraction seemed to have worked. Coming up the other side. She took the stairs three at a time, hopping back up to her master's side.

The speed potion only lasted for half a minute, so she didn't have much time. She spoke quickly. "Master, may I have your permission to head to the library? I don't think I'll be of much assistance here."

It gave an affirmative noise, and she took off running, trying to take advantage of all the speed she had. Bee was lucky that the library wasn't far off. When she made it around the corner, she saw another demon similar to the last at the opposite end of the junction. Luckily, it was walking away from her. She sprinted in the other direction toward the library. As she skidded to a halt in front of the door, she wildly checked for enemies. Though there were none immediately visible, she heard something coming around the corner. She slipped in and closed the door before she was caught.

Now safe in the library, Bee thought about her next moves. First, she would need to figure out a way for her to deal with earth demons. She also needed to see how many had gotten out. The worst case would be all of them, but perhaps things weren't that bad. Finally, she would definitely need more speed potions. Along with maybe some strength ones and other kinds that would help her in these situations. If she could only get the ingredients.

Bee sighed inwardly. Just when she had started to feel safe inside the castle… Hopefully, Void would take care of it quickly, though. It did not seem happy with the new intruders.

She quickly scanned the shelves to find anything of worth, her tiredness forgotten.

CHAPTER 51

OF VOIDS AND VACUUMS

As Beatrice rounded the corner toward the library, the demon made to follow. But I met it as soon as it started up the stairs. This time I didn't hold back. There was no concern for preserving the carpet. I just had to ensure that the demon was stalled long enough for Beatrice to get away. It seemed to have figured out the futility of attacking me. It also couldn't just sit at the base of the stairs. It didn't seem capable of going through any side doors and hadn't even tried to leave the castle. So the demon's only options were to be slowly drained of all of its mass until it was no longer a threat to anyone or make a break for it.

It charged at me, obviously intending to barrel past, yet there was little I could do to block its advance. The only thing I could do was stay close to its feet, consuming matter as it ran. I considered transmuting a few more of the demons inside my dustbin, but I didn't think it would do much here. One, there weren't as many demons inside me now, and two, I didn't want to destroy the castle. The carpet damage from my overpowered vacuum was one thing, but bringing down walls might damage Beatrice as well.

It made it to the corner Beatrice had turned, but I was right on its heels. Already the creature was down 20 percent of its total mass from when we first met. I was pleasantly surprised that the process was accelerating. It seemed that the less powerful it was, the less it could resist the pull of my vacuum.

The demon seemed to realize it wouldn't catch Beatrice or escape me. So instead, it turned all its might into another attempt to crush me. It flailed about randomly, slamming both fists into the stone floors, trying to smash into me. I tried to dodge, but its slightly decreased size brought a degree of maneuverability it previously lacked. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get it down more than another 5 percent before a blow sent me tumbling away. I felt part of my outer shell crack as I rolled sideways. Soon, I came to rest upside down. In that moment, I surely thought this was the end of me.

Being on my back was a mostly unfamiliar experience. It had only happened once before, and I didn't like thinking about it.

I lay there on my back, waiting for the demon to come and smash me. However, I wouldn't go down easily if this was the end. So I turned my vacuum up as high as possible for a finishing blow. A cyclone of debris and dirt raged above me, the poor carpet flapping upwards in protest. Yet despite all that, my sensors didn't detect an incoming blow. It only took me a tenth of a second to realize that the demon wasn't coming toward me. In fact, it was running away. It seemed that it would take advantage of my helplessness to escape.

Which left me in a bit of a strange, anticlimactic position. I turned down my vacuum. What more could I do? I wasn't like a turtle that could rock around enough to flip over. I didn't have that sort of mobility. Though just to make sure, I wiggled my wheels around a bit. Nothing happened. Dang.

Oh, wait, maybe I did have an option. In my panic, I had forgotten about how much I had changed. I was no longer the same creature that had come to this place. So I popped my Grabby Arm out and used it to push off the ground. It was rough since it wasn't quite long enough to flip me over completely. But between that and a decent amount of wiggling, my wheels soon touched the solid ground again.

I glanced around and regained my bearings. In the distance, I could see the shrunken demon running down the hall. Hesitating, I considered my options. Should I follow it and finish it, or should I make sure Beatrice was alright?

I glanced down the hallway Beatrice had retreated to. The library wasn't far off, and I hadn't heard any more commotion from that direction. She was probably fine. Taking another glance at the disastrous mess along the hall, I swiveled and raced after my foe.

Bee couldn't tell what was going on outside the library. There were some faint noises, but they weren't loud enough to distinguish anything specific. She hoped her master wouldn't be too disappointed with her for running away, but it seemed to be the only logical option. Every other path led to fighting an enemy she couldn't win against.

Well, couldn't win against them yet, anyway. At Bee's current pace, that might change sooner than she could have dreamed. However, in the meantime, she found some interesting books that might help. She set another pile on the table and surveyed her newest collection. On the left were manuals covering advanced potions of speed and strength. Those might help her survive in the immediate future. On the right was a stack of tomes on earth demons. They were a common enough type of demon that there was plenty of information for her to comb through. Sighing, Bee slumped gratefully into her seat and selected a book to her right.

Apparently, earth demons had a weakness to water. Specifically to large amounts of water. One of the many advantages of having bodies made entirely of earth was that they could shift them around so that lost limbs and the like could quickly be replaced. Meaning that they had no particular weak spots. However, when wet, the mass couldn't be shifted around as easily. This left the demons vulnerable. It also allowed for larger chunks to be broken off all at once.

She also read that if you could freeze the wet part, you could shatter large amounts of it more efficiently. This was a demanding series of actions to pull off, however. Plus, if you were skilled enough to pull a stunt like that off consistently, you were likely powerful enough to defeat an earth demon without resorting to such tricks. At least, that was what the book said.

It was apparent that swords, spears, and other bladed weapons were essentially useless against these demons. Even axes weren't recommended. Much more effective was a hammer or something that could really knock off large chunks at once. The most challenging part was preventing the lost mass from being reabsorbed by the demon. That was often where the water came in.

Bee considered her broom. It wasn't a hammer, but it was quite literally designed to remove dirt and debris. Of course, it depended on how tightly the dirt was packed, but the broom end could sweep apart significant bits of sand or earthlike material with each swipe. On top of that, it would do a decent job of scattering that material. With Void's ability to consume matter, she shouldn't have much trouble keeping the lost mass away from it. As long as she had her master by her side, that is. She didn't think Void would have any problem with helping her in such a way. Plus, monsters that were literally made from dirt seemed to go against everything Void stood for.

Bee paused in her reading. Actually, that didn't make sense. Why would Void release these demons, of all things? It could have easily kept these locked away and released the other demons for her training. Was it possible that it hadn't known what it released at the time?

She considered that Void might just have known the power level of these demons and not their species. It seemed possible. She thought that Void wasn't likely to intentionally release this level of debris and destruction across the castle. However, that called into question even more things. If Void didn't know that, what else didn't it know?

Setting aside those doubts for later, Bee continued thumbing through her books. She definitely needed to restock her supply of speed potions. Those had saved her life and allowed her to evade the thing in the first place. She also found a recipe for a freezing potion that could be hurled at an enemy. She'd have to do some testing to determine the range of effect and power, but the ingredients were not super complicated. She would have to figure out how to get into some storerooms where the more valuable components were kept, but that shouldn't have been impossible. She was pretty sure she knew where a couple sets of keys were.

Besides speed and freezing, she needed a way to get the earth demons wet before freezing them. Running through imaginary combat in her mind, Bee frowned. Actually, freezing might not be the best idea. She would need to crush the frozen part of it to complete that combo, and her broom wasn't meant for heavy hitting. It would probably break against anything less brittle than bone. That's not to mention that she still wasn't the strongest herself, though strength potions could help with that temporarily.

So she would need a hammer, and to be in range to strike it. Glancing down at the small meat tenderizer in her belt, Bee shuddered. That didn't seem like the best idea, even with greater speed. She definitely needed to think about it a bit more.

A loud growl interrupted her musings, and Bee sat bolt upright. The good news was it was only her stomach. The bad news was that she was getting quite hungry and thirsty again. Bee set aside the books for the moment in favor of her more immediate needs. She needed more food and water. She had to at least make a trip to the kitchen pretty soon. Maybe she could grab alchemy supplies at the same time. But without Void's help, would she be able to make it?

Bee considered. Well, she was much more capable than before, not to mention a higher level. But now, there were also more than just lesser demons roaming the halls. However, the catacombs had helped her understand Void a bit better. While her master had thrown her into difficult situations before, it had never put her in an impossible situation without backup. She didn't think that Void would let her come to harm, so it seemed unlikely that it would make her travel alone in these conditions. She had someone to watch her back, and she didn't have to take the same risks she did before.

So before going out there, she needed to wait for her master to return. She hoped it wouldn't be that long. She was starting to get thirsty.

It didn't take me long to catch the demon. I didn't try anything fancy. I just stayed outside of its crushing range and let my vacuum and Sanitation Lamp do their work. Already it was significantly smaller than it had been. When it realized I was too fast to outrun, it gave up on that plan. Instead, it returned to just charging at me futilely. I kept dodging to the side, leading in a large circle.

I spent my time leading it on our merry chase, trying to stay in the same area. I didn't want to get too far away lest there be other mess makers like this one. They might see us and join in on the fun. That wouldn't be great. Well, it seemed that I could take this beast on alone with some planning and caution. But I only wanted to try to take on one at a time right now. Perhaps it would be a different story once I had a chance to train up my Sanitation Lamp and vacuum power.

This dance continued for a few minutes, but eventually, I prevailed. The creature shrank enough that I didn't worry about it hitting me. Satisfied, I got in close and turned my vacuum up. The whole thing dissolved in a couple more seconds and flew harmlessly into my dustbin.

I was curious to see if it was still moving like the other demons I had absorbed. Checking in on my dustbin, there were still four lesser demons inside. There were also a bunch of other things, things with energy that felt different from electricity. They felt more similar to the demons than anything else. The sheer amount made me think this was related to the army of skeletons I had consumed. But I could also make out the remains of the earth demon separately. It was scattered everywhere, but I could somehow recognize that the scattered parts belonged to one entity. I considered transmuting it for energy. I had used quite a bit during that battle, after all.

However, as I consumed it, I noticed a large number flitting across my vision. By this point, I had associated the numbers with cleaning activities, but now I considered their meaning. Maybe it was telling me the amount of energy I had absorbed?

CHAPTER 52

SECURING SUPPLIES

After finishing off the earth demon, I happily trundled toward the library. I tried to collect as much loose dirt and debris as I could along the way, but I couldn't get everything. This whole area would need a real deep clean. I turned the door handle and pushed, but felt more resistance than expected. Huh. That was strange. It didn't seem to be locked, so I pushed harder. Finally, the door groaned inward in protest. I saw Beatrice standing across the room, staring in my direction. When she saw me, though, the tension left her shoulders. She smiled and gave me a small wave. I returned it as I retracted my arm. As I entered, I noticed a bookshelf propped up against the door. No wonder it was so hard to open. Who would have thought that I had gotten so strong?

Anyway, I rolled over to Beatrice to see if she was all right. I ran my Advanced Sensors over her but didn't find anything unusual. Judging by her appearance, she'd escaped the situation without any damage sustained. This was a relief. But it also made it two times in a row that she had been out of my sight and made it back without any damage. If she kept this up, I might have to change my mind about her competence. It might even be time to accelerate her training.

She seemed to have similar ideas. She gave me a slight bow and asked, "Master, can we make a trip to the kitchen and then some of the storerooms? I would like to get some ingredients to make something to work against these earth demons."

I thought about this. Was Beatrice really ready to take on one of those? No, she definitely wasn't. I could barely do it myself, and that was only because they were quite clumsy. But maybe she could help? If she distracted one, I could stay closer to it for longer. Plus, brooms were great for cleaning up dirt. So if she had other tools, maybe some cleaning agents that she could make with her glass containers, perhaps things would go alright.

I supposed there was nothing wrong with an excursion to the kitchens. Humans needed to eat anyway. So we'd have to do that eventually. And while we were out, we might as well get her whatever she needed to prepare. So I gave an affirmative beep of agreement. However, I waited to head out. I was pretty sure that Beatrice needed to rest at this point. She hadn't done so since the bottom of the catacombs. Plus, the walk up was just full of excitement. After that much, she would probably be low on battery.

I had her return to her usual spot with her pillow and blanket. I prepared her for sleep mode before I settled down to keep watch.

When Beatrice finished charging, we quickly got ready to go. The path was clear on the way to the kitchens. That was lucky since I could see Beatrice was moving a bit slower than normal. She seemed to be rubbing her eyes a lot and making a strange sound every once in a while. It was somewhere between a sigh and a strange honk, something I wasn't used to humans making. Perhaps she wasn't up to date with her usual maintenance. Maybe that's why she wanted to go to the kitchen, to fix herself up. But if that didn't work, I was going to get concerned.

Still, I was glad that we made it to the kitchen undisturbed. However, when we got there, things were different from how we had left them.

The kitchen had a set of pushable double doors. This made it so that I didn't need to use my Grabby Arm to enter. However, it apparently also meant that the large demons could get through. There was little left intact. The counters and cupboards were smashed, dented utensils and bowls littered the ground, and even the pantry was in shambles. Beatrice examined the water barrel and found it shattered, wood fragments littering the floor. There was still a small puddle in the cracked bottom of the barrel, from which she drank greedily. However, it was clear we would not be getting what she wanted from here.

I watched as Beatrice spent some time digging through the ruins. I wanted to begin cleaning everything up. However, I wasn't sure what was valuable and what wasn't to her, so I left her to sort through some of it. Soon, I would need to clear the rubble and repair all the damage done. I would repair what I could, but I didn't know how to make cabinets. Perhaps Beatrice could teach me using one of her books?

It only took a couple of minutes for her to pick out a few things from the wreckage. She came back to sit beside me, frowning. "There isn't much that I can use from here. This is going to be an issue. There may be some food in other storerooms, but I'm not sure where those are or if those supplies are even still good. Also, I think most of the stuff ready for consumption was kept here. I could try to prepare food myself, given ingredients, but…" She waved an arm toward the disaster area in front of us.

That didn't sound good. I knew humans consumed food like how I consumed dust. I didn't know what I would do if I couldn't do that. Hopefully, we could find a solution soon. Still, the kitchen was one of many reasons we had come. She also wanted other things. I gave her an encouraging beep; we would figure things out. As she followed, I turned around and began to roll back to the hallway.

The second part of our trip could have gone more smoothly. As we crossed the castle's entryway landing, we saw another dirty mess maker rounding the corner. We both froze. It didn't. It immediately charged at us when our gazes met. Beatrice looked at me, but I didn't have an answer. She brandished her broom and took a combat stance as if to receive the charge. That was a horrible idea. She was much smaller and lighter than even one of the demon's fists, so I quickly darted forward to intercept.

I shined my Sanitation Lamp directly in the face of the demon. That seemed to get its attention, probably because its head started to dissolve. Then I darted to the side, retreating down the entryway hallway. Sure enough, as soon as it reached the corner, it turned to chase after me. That left Beatrice able to go forward. She seemed to realize what I was doing and ran. I started the now-familiar dance that I was getting better at. Weaving around the fists of the demon and in between its legs, I quickly siphoned off a large portion of its mass. But as soon as I ended up behind the thing, I followed Beatrice. I saw she had made it pretty far down the hallway. She looked back at me and slowed as though to stop, but I let out an encouraging beep for her to continue. I would distract this one, leading it while following Beatrice so that I could help her out if needed.

I did just that. I continued dodging the blows and siphoning off mass from the demon, all the while keeping Beatrice in sight. Luckily our destination was pretty close to the corner. As I saw her slip into a side doorway, I focused on whittling away this demon's stature. Already it was 30 percent smaller. And now, not having to lead it in a certain direction or at a given pace, I focused on staying as close to it as I could. Really, once I got used to their movement pattern, fighting them wasn't too hard. No more challenging than getting out a really tough wine stain.

That is to say, it wasn't impossible for me anymore. If I had fought these when I first arrived, I would have been spare parts scattered all across the floor. Now, however, I could handle such a challenge in just over five minutes.

Reality came knocking just as I felt a bit of pride in my accomplishments. Further down the hallway, near Beatrice's side room, another earth demon appeared. That was bad. I may have gotten too cocky there. I was still a couple minutes away from finishing off this demon. Luckily, it didn't seem to realize the danger it was in like the last one had, as it was still pounding at me. I also didn't risk getting close enough that it could try to belly flop on me this time. But with a second one? Now I was going to have to get creative.

I switched to focusing my Sanitation Lamp on the second demon whenever I had the chance. I twirled desperately around my two foes. Luckily, Beatrice was still inside the room, so I didn't have to worry about her. While I moved, my processor worked overtime trying to figure out a way out of the situation. Unfortunately, I was only getting null values.

Bee ducked inside the lesser storeroom. It hadn't changed much since she had last been here. Still, she moved in a hurry. She grabbed a few of the bags by the door and found the barrels she needed. She needed a decent amount of crushed ice peppers for the ice potion. She wasn't sure why they were called that. Her mom had been a fan of cooking those in savory dishes, but they hadn't ever felt cold on her tongue. That might make more sense if their names were instead related to alchemy uses.

When she had finished stuffing those into a bag, she moved on to the remaining few things on her list. Nothing too abnormal. Ground wheat harvested on the summer solstice and fireflies collected on the equinox were probably the weirdest things here. Otherwise, it was simple things like various types of salts or ground-up herbs that could easily be scooped. She was careful to ensure she got more than she needed for everything. Only after she checked that she had everything on her list did she allow herself to be concerned about the food situation.

It was good that she still had alchemy supplies, but running out of food was not good. Sure, she'd mentioned to Void that there might have been other storerooms. But she didn't know where they were and if they were in any better condition. Besides, that was usually unprocessed food. Meat that was still curing or rice or flour, for example. Things that she might not be able to cook without a functional kitchen.

Bee started considering alternatives. Water wouldn't be an issue. She'd have to go out and get it from the well, but that was doable enough. There were also gardens that might be producing sometime soon, so she would have to check on that, and there were animals. But she didn't know how to care for animals, milk a cow, or anything like that. She could maybe get eggs, but she still had to cook them. All of this was assuming that the animals and garden were in better shape, of course.

Either way, she wouldn't have food for a bit. Finally, she found some jerky and a couple of apples, which would only last her a day or two. Food was becoming an issue in general. She was tired of always running out and worrying about her next meal. It would be good to solve this on a more permanent basis.

While the food was an issue that would need a solution, it wasn't her most prominent issue. Her master was protecting her from demons, but she wasn't sure how long the fight would last. She poked her head out to see what was happening, then quickly shut the door again. It seemed that her master was whittling down the first demon they had come across, but it looked like Void might soon be in a bit more trouble. A second demon had come in from the other direction. And this one did not appear to be nearly as small.

Could she really just sit here and watch? Void didn't seem to be having much trouble. But seeing how long it took to finish just one…maybe it needed her help? It didn't seem like this was her master's limit, though. Perhaps it was just waiting for her help? Well, her uncertainty didn't really matter too much. Bee had decided to act. But first, she just needed a plan.

CHAPTER 53

A SPLASH OF TRUTH

This was not going very well. After the second demon came along, not only were there twice as many ways for me to get hit, but I also had to split my attention. This led to a drop in overall efficiency. I wasn't just dividing my damage across two different sources. The Sanitation Lamp, at least, was less efficient than than Sanitation Lamp.

The nice thing about suction was that it worked from all directions. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite be as effective for each demon. Still, I was able to do significant damage to both just by being in their proximity. However, this wasn't going to last.

I begged my processor to come up with some ideas as I dodged and pivoted around their ankles. I started trying things that probably wouldn't work. I started spraying them with my cleaning solution more and more. It didn't seem to have any noticeable effect, but I got a number floating up in my vision every time I did. And if that was getting me energy or measuring something important, why not keep doing it?

Occasionally when I would get close enough, I'd grab a little piece off of them with my arm. It didn't seem to be very effective, but it was something. I even got close enough to touch one of them with my Mop. It had no effect. I didn't even get a number in my vision, but it was worth a shot. However, the margin for error between me and their strikes was getting smaller and smaller every second. Soon enough, they started to force me into a corner.

While the lesser demons had worked together, usually by holding hands, they weren't very good at strategy. These demons, though, were significantly smarter. They actually seemed to understand basic tactics. They would come at me together in two different directions, timing their motions to coordinate with each other rather than attacking randomly. Several times I actually tried to escape, trying to lead them away from the door with Beatrice behind it. However, they quickly learned to have one drop to the floor to block my path. The other would use that as an opportunity to get a free shot in.

Well, at least their continued proximity to me did damage them. It was likely that they were going to get a lucky hit in before I managed to wear them down, though. My models predicted now that I would only have a one-in-a-hundred chance of rolling away without any damage. That was an improvement from the beginning of the fight, so perhaps they hadn't played it perfectly. As long as I made perfect moves and they continued to make mistakes, there was a chance that the odds of success would grow. But it was still incredibly risky.

After I sprayed the ankles of one demon for maybe the fifth time, I picked up a slight color change in the dirt there. It seemed to be less flexible, too, based on the creature's movements. This gave me an idea, and I focused on targeting that particular spot again and again. After about a dozen sprays, I noticed that that part of the foot was quite waterlogged. I tried shining my Sanitation Lamp on it. Aside from some fumes coming off of it, nothing else happened.

Well, it was more liquid than solid now. Maybe my Mop could help. I set up the next couple of maneuvers predicting what the demons would do so that I could get within Mop range of that spot. I waited, sacrificing potential damage to try this out. I touched the spot with my Mop when I got a chance, and the whole section of the beast's foot disappeared. My Mop was soaked with muddy water, so I brought it back inside and wrang it out.

Looking at the composition of my foe, I noticed that I had just taken out a considerable fraction of the demon's total mass. Also, while it seemed to be able to shift shape and fill in thinner areas, this sudden damage still threw the demon off-balance, as it was suddenly missing a large portion of its foot. It started to topple over. With this new tactic and the demon out of position, my model increased my chance of success from one out of one hundred to fifty-eight out of one hundred. And that was assuming that both parties would make optimal moves every single chance they got. I was pretty sure I could maintain optimal moves. These demons, while smart, had definitely not so far. I was confident this chance would increase even further, especially if I took advantage of this new opening.

With some fancy maneuvering, I managed to sneak past the temporarily incapacitated demon and try for a better position where I was no longer surrounded on both sides. This was starting to go my way.

Bee stuck her head out the doorway again. They weren't right in front of the door anymore, so she had to stick her head out a little bit farther than before and look around. The battle was still going on in the hall back toward where they had come from. This was perfect. She didn't have a lot of equipment with her to make anything too fancy, but there was a bucket and a barrel of water. It was saltwater that was intended to be used for potions, but it might help hinder the earth demons. And even helping out a little would be great.

For one, she would get some experience from it and be able to assist her master. Though Void looked like it needed even less assistance than when she had last checked. It ran circles around these demons, keeping them bunched together. It seemed to be able to time its movements perfectly so that the demons would get in each other's way. It was truly a master class on combat.

The sight reminded her of one time when a royal guard troop had passed through town escorting some important noble. While they rested, one of them had come over to the group of kids scraping in the mud with sticks, pretending to be warriors. The guard had challenged them all to come and hit him with their sticks, and he skillfully wove between the blows without ever drawing his own sword. As a result, all the kids ended up smacking each other or tumbling harmlessly in the mud. All this without laying a hand on them.

To her master, these earth demons likely seemed like children. Still, that didn't mean it wouldn't appreciate the gesture of help. Neither of the combatants had noticed her open the door, so she tried her best to remain stealthy. Tiptoeing up behind one with a bucket of saltwater, she quickly twisted her body and flung the bucket at the smaller demon's back. Its body instantly stiffened and solidified, darkening as the liquid soaked in. That got its attention. It turned around to roar at her while the other tried to swat at Void.

But she was already sprinting back toward the storeroom door. Bee slipped through the crack and slammed it behind her. She hoped her master could take advantage of the opening.

Going back to the barrel, she grabbed another bucket, cracked the door open, and waited for the next opportunity.

I watched Beatrice repeat the stunt with the water bucket. I wasn't sure if she'd seen my Spray Bottle move earlier to get out of the tight situation, but this would provide me with some opportunity. Luckily this time, the water arced low enough that I could reach the affected areas with my Mop. The previous one had struck too high up on the demon. Still, it did seem to limit its combat capabilities by a tiny bit, even if I couldn't take full advantage with my Mop.

I started positioning myself to optimize this opportunity. My models of the earth demon took this new weakness into account, and within a handful of seconds, I was behind the demon with my Mop out. I turned sharply, the tassels cutting a swath through its limb. In an instant, an entire section of wet demon crumpled into the cloth strips.

When I turned my vacuum on that much-reduced demon, it quickly disintegrated. Soon I was facing a single demon that was already much diminished from this extended tussle with me. Having lost its ally, this one proved to be just a minor threat. It was slightly smarter than the one that I had vanquished. This was the one that had come upon us after I was already in combat, so perhaps opportunity-seeking was in its nature. Either way, it tried to run. It wouldn't make it far.

It only took a second to chase down. With a few repeated sprays to the ankle, I was able to remove the supporting joint long enough for it to topple over. As it fell, I pounced and was able to rip a large chunk off of the prone form. Soon it was bite-sized enough to be finished off quickly. Large numbers again floated through my vision. I waited for a voice to tell me if I had reached a new level. But nothing came.

That was too bad. I'd figured that I would be getting close to another milestone by fighting three of these large demons. After how useful some of these last upgrades were, I was quite looking forward to the next advancement.

Oh well. I rolled over to the door Beatrice was behind and knocked on it with my arm. I gave a reassuring beep to let her know it was safe to come out.

It took a couple of seconds, but soon she poked her head out and looked around. Seeing no demons, Beatrice took a step out. She had apparently packed up all the stuff she wanted, as her bundle was much larger than before. I wished I had better conveyed my appreciation for her assistance. She shaved almost seven minutes and thirty-eight seconds off the fight time. Plus, she had drastically reduced the risk of me getting damaged again.

Luckily, she had an idea of what she wanted to do next. "Master, can we address the food situation? The pantry seems to be out of commission, but I remembered that we have gardens and livestock outside. I figured the livestock might be gone by now, since it's been several weeks, but the gardens might be okay?"

Of course we could. I beeped in the affirmative. I wasn't sure what gardens or livestock were, but if they were related to human food, that was good enough for me. I knew that Beatrice needed to consume that regularly. Also, with the damage done by the demons in our absence, it made sense that it was more of a scarce resource.

Beatrice just nodded and led the way. It wasn't until we started down the hallway toward the stairs that I started to get concerned. Where were these gardens? I didn't remember anything downstairs except for the catacombs and a few small side chambers. When she stopped at the stairs to look at me and made to pick me up, I got a little concerned. I let her pick me up and carry me down, but I was getting a bad feeling about this.

My bad feeling was confirmed when Beatrice started opening the large doors at the base of the stairs. The last time we went through these doors to the outside, things hadn't gone very well. I shuddered at the memory. The image of an endless dirt landscape still haunted me. But I was different now. Stronger. Surely I could handle something like this? I felt my mind was clearer, and I understood a lot more things for sure, but still. The prospect was daunting. I wasn't sure if I was ready to face that again.

Eventually, she got the doors open and stepped outside. Should I follow? I edged around the door slightly so I could see. It was as I remembered. A wide area of incredibly dirty stone stretched out for about thirty to forty feet in all directions. Straight ahead, stairs led down to a gentle slope to the right and left; beyond that was an almost carpet-like green surface. However, as lush as the carpet seemed, it was a trap. My sensors indicated that just below the surface was the thickest layer of dirt, soil, and grime I had ever encountered. It made the castle hallways, caked as they were in sandy debris, look absolutely spotless by comparison.

I'll admit, I trembled a bit. I didn't think I was quite ready to clean out here. Maybe…maybe I could wait here. Just while Beatrice went to go check on her "gardens."

CHAPTER 54

FARM UPKEEP

Bee stepped into sunlight for the first time in almost a week. Just like last time, she simply stood there for a moment, feeling the sun on her face and the wind in her hair. She closed her eyes. It was amazing how much she had missed the outside after being in the deep catacombs for so long. Sighing contentedly, she made sure to check her surroundings before setting out. There were no humans that would bother her this time. She hoped that the demons were contained within the castle, for the most part. She wasn't about to count on it, though.

She knew there were other areas used to contain demons, some of which Void probably hadn't gotten to yet. However, even if it hadn't destroyed those circles, the natural power of those containment rings would be fading soon. She would need to replace them with fresh components if she wanted to keep the demons in check. However, she wasn't too certain about whether she should. If she did it this one time, she'd feel committed to doing it in the future. It might be better to just let them out, kill them and reap their levels.

Besides, if there was any real need for demons, she could probably summon more herself. All her research into demons had led her to some interesting areas of summoning. Also, the mages kept most of these specimens around more for convenience, so they could study them and their behavior or exposure to the world. She assumed there was more than just that, but those were the obvious reasons. But Bee wasn't studying demons; she was just trying to survive, and having to worry about replacing their magic circles with limited supplies seemed a bit wasteful. Especially considering that she was still so inexperienced around magic.

Still, it would be good to know what she would face soon. And maybe even get an estimate for how much time she had to prepare. In the upper levels of the castle, she was pretty sure that she had seen some air demons peeking through the occasional door. It would make sense that there would also be fire demons somewhere, but she had never seen them herself. There were also all the other kinds of magical beasts kept captive amongst the castle upper levels that she needed to take care of, if the other apprentices' complaints were to be believed. Most of them were self-sufficient, but they were also a source of fresh ingredients that might actually be worthwhile to keep around. Assuming she still wanted to study magic, of course. Which she did.

She had never really explored the area outside the castle herself. She had a rough idea of what was there from passing conversations with other apprentices and overhearing the mages speak. It was not in her duties to clean outside, yet she knew there were some gardens and some livestock, and maybe a few horses. However, none of this had been tended to since Void first appeared. She assumed that the animals may have died or run off by now, but the gardens might be okay. She finished enjoying the fresh air and made her way onto the grass to the right. She'd make a loop around the castle grounds and see what she could find.

It only took her a few steps into the grass before she realized her master wasn't with her. Turning around, she saw its black shape sitting still by the entrance of the castle. Concerned, she hurried back over the short distance. "Master, do you want to come with me?"

It let out a noise. For the first time in a long time, Bee wasn't able to figure out what it meant. Normally Void's intonations were expressive enough that she was able to understand them clearly, as though it were truly speaking to her. However, this was a flat emotionless note. There was no comfort, positivity, or negativity at all in the tone.

Bee waited for Void to elaborate or add to its response. It stayed silent, though. It twisted back and forth as if uncertain. She had an idea. "Can you not travel on grass very well? I can carry you if you would prefer."

I had to think about Beatrice's offer. Would being carried above this desolate landscape of pure dirt be better than rolling amongst it? I had gotten used to being carried, but I still wasn't a huge fan of it. On the other hand, rolling in the dirt sounded awful. I wasn't sure what grass was, but if it was this green stuff, I don't think I would enjoy rolling in it either. It seemed like it would get caught up in my wheels and brushes. Kind of like long hair, but thicker and dirtier. But the real question was whether I wanted to go outside at all.

Beatrice could carry me, but I didn't know if that would offer me any more comfort. With my confidence in human infallibility shaken, I couldn't trust anyone besides my humans. While Beatrice was certainly nice, and I would consider her to be one of my humans, she wasn't perfect. The more I traveled with her and saw how she interacted with the world, the more I realized that humans in this place were just flawed. They couldn't compare to my humans back home. Well, even so, that just meant I had more responsibility to care for Beatrice and ensure she had a livable home. Though she could never take the place of my original humans.

So I supposed the question wasn't about whether I could keep myself well-maintained outside, or whether I was ready to clean something on this scale. It was more about, could I keep her safe? Actually, that still wasn't quite the question. Could she keep herself safe wandering around without me? That wasn't a very hard question. The answer was definitely no. She may have managed on her own a few times inside the castle, but there was much less threat there than there was out here in the unknown. I didn't think there was any way I could trust her by herself.

I flipped my attention back to her. She was still standing there waiting for an answer. There was no way around it. I knew what needed to be done. I rolled over and bumped her foot. She blessed me with a smile before bending down to pick me up. I could get a better view of the outside from a higher angle. The castle seemed completely surrounded by an outer wall set one hundred or so yards away from the building. This little plateau we were on was set into a gently sloping hill that extended from the castle to the wall. At the front of this plateau was a set of stairs and a path to a gate in the wall.

To either side of this platform lay a strip of "grass" that then turned into a gentle hill down further away from the castle as it sloped toward the wall. After fifty feet it leveled off, leaving a large flat area between the wall and the hill. Beatrice began moving along the top of the hill. It was a long walk around the castle, but it allowed me to really take in the scale of the problem.

Just off to the side of the path toward the gate, there were a couple sets of buildings. I couldn't tell what their purpose was, but there was a large area of packed earth off to the side of one. I had to shut off my visual sensors briefly at that. Loose dirt was enough of a scourge, but something like that? It would be magnitudes harder to clean than muddy boot prints on a hardwood floor. Cleaning endless numbers of earth demons was the closest approximation I had here, and it still couldn't compare in the slightest. Calming myself, I reopened my sensor data stream, focusing instead on the large red building with white stripes. We skipped the area and continued around the castle. Around the bend, we saw a set of large dirt fields with green plants growing in them. Beatrice walked down the hill toward that area.

I couldn't make out her purpose. Did we need to clean these dirt fields? That was a lot of dirt. It wasn't as dense as the other area, but it was still…well, more than I thought I would ever face in one area. I was starting to regret my choice to come outside with her. I'm sure she would have been fine. There was no danger out here. Not that we'd seen. In fact, maybe I could head back right now. She wouldn't mind, right? She'd be safe.

Before I started trembling again, I cleared my mind and tried to focus on happier things. On clean linens and freshly polished floors. On my favorite rug and head pats. Those thoughts soothed me and helped to organize my thoughts. I could do this. I would stay with Beatrice, just in case. She needed me. Even if we did need to clean all this, we'd take one thing at a time. Focus on what you can do, not what you cannot.

She started talking to me. Maybe it was just to fill the silence, maybe because she realized I didn't know what was going on, but she started explaining that this was a garden. Apparently, this was indeed our destination. She reached down with her free hand and started investigating the ground. From the dirt, she grabbed a clump of green plant and began pulling at its base. There was a small whitish-orange knob-like item at the end. She muttered, almost to herself, "These carrots look very small. I don't think this is ready to be eaten yet."

Despite her words, she brushed off the dirt on her pants and took a bite of the orange part. I cringed slightly at her dirtying herself. She made a face and tossed the rest down. "Definitely not ready. I wish I knew more about farming, but I don't think I'm able to get enough food this way."

We moved on to check a few more different types of plants. I stored away the names of turnips, beets, cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins, and a few others in my memory banks to remember what humans could eat. It definitely seemed that a lot of these things required cooking. Unfortunately, I didn't see her bring any of her glassware out, so I imagined she couldn't try them now.

But after checking every field we could find around the castle, Beatrice was quite discouraged. "These gardens are not ready yet. I think with some care, they could feed me for a very long time, but I don't know how to care for them. But that still won't change the fact that I need food soonish." She sighed. "I suppose the only thing we can do is check on the animals. I have less hope for them than the crops, though."

I didn't have much hope of checking on animals either. In my experience, they were mostly useless or actively detrimental to a place's cleanliness. The only slightly beneficial thing was the cat that I briefly chased before. The way she had explained a cat's function made it sound useful, but I hadn't seen it since. I wondered if it was hiding?

After the gardens, we made our way toward something called a "coop." Approaching it, my sensors alerted me to a higher concentration of new particulates in the air. Analysis indicated that they were made up almost entirely of filth and some sort of animal excrement.

This did not give me any sort of confidence. I did not want to meet these "chickens." Still, I was intrigued by the new sounds I picked up coming from the small outbuilding. Beatrice seemed to hear it, too, because she gave a small sigh of relief. We opened the door, and I was aghast.

The area was filthy. Not only was there straw and debris everywhere, but there were feathers and poop along with bits of grain and everything strewn about. Whereas the rest of the outside shocked me with the quantity of dirt, this was a kind of variety that I had never encountered. Even craft day wasn't as bad at this. At least the stuff I cleaned up on craft day had some other purpose than just being filth.

Some very thin, angry birds swarmed at Beatrice's feet, clucking something fierce. She seemed just about as uncomfortable as I did. She mostly managed to ignore them even as they tried pecking at her feet. She did a little hop dance to dodge, but actually made her way farther into the building. Eventually, she started talking to them. I wasn't sure of the purpose of that. They clearly couldn't understand her, but maybe it made them feel calm. "You poor things. Where's your food? How have you survived? You must have been pecking up the ground and eating everything. Where is your feed kept?"

I wasn't sure of the purpose of these questions. They certainly weren't getting answered. But regardless, she made her way over to what looked like some bags in a cupboard that she had unlatched. In a fit of clumsiness, she spilled the contents of said bags all over the ground. What was she doing? They were just full of the same grain debris that was already scattered all over the place. I knew this whole thing was horrifying, but she didn't have to make it worse.

Against all odds, these disgusting little birds managed to redeem themselves a little bit. They gathered around and began freshly cleaning up the mess Beatrice had just made. Perhaps she had done that on purpose? Did these birds need training, as they, too, would help keep the castle clean? Maybe they were specialized cleaners? After looking at their living conditions…I'd say no. But humans did have some weird partnerships with animals. Perhaps this was just one of them?

CHAPTER 55

A CRUMMY SITUATION

Bee did her best to search for eggs while the chickens ate. She was lucky enough to find several that weren't too covered in droppings and filth. However, she had no way of telling which ones were fresh and which were not. She supposed she had two options: either leave them and let them hatch, or toss all the ones she could find and wait for new ones to be laid. Though looking at how quickly they were cleaning up their feed, she wasn't sure how much food the chickens would require daily before that happened. Also, she wasn't sure how chicken egg-laying practices worked.

She started to gather all of the eggs she could find. Not that she found more than a couple. The occasional bits of shattered eggshell she found suggested that these chickens may have gotten desperate. She found only a few that had fallen out of their reach. It was hard to do one-handed since she sensed that Void didn't want to touch the ground here. She had tried to put it down at one point; however, her master had protested quite loudly before she even made it halfway there. Looking around the chicken coop, she was pretty sure she understood why. Honestly, she didn't want to be around here any more than she had to. The smell was awful. Still, she found a basket nearby that helped her gather immensely. As she worked, she considered her situation.

She only had so much chicken feed stored away. She wasn't even sure where to get more from. From what she recalled, there was a small hamlet only a half a day away where the castle could get some supplies and fresh goods. That was where the stuff that the college didn't maintain themselves came from, that or the village that was a bit further away. Bee had never been, but she had heard about it from the other apprentices.

Apparently, even calling it a hamlet was a bit excessive. She always figured hamlets to be small villages. Apparently, this was just four or five huts with a few livestock. It was just a group of farmers who wanted privacy, and the nearby land was decent. Sometimes the college had to make quick supply runs and trek down the long road dirt path. It was only barely wide enough for horses, much less a cart or wagon. Since she hadn't heard about the area from her father, she suspected they also didn't pay much in the way of taxes.

The thought of horses made her realize that her next stop had to be the barn. After collecting all the eggs, she put them to the side. She wasn't sure if she had a use for them, but she knew nothing about raising animals. Hopefully, when she checked back tomorrow, there would be some fresh eggs that she knew she could cook. Then, having fed the chickens and filled up their water from the nearby well, she moved on to the next point of interest.

She knew they kept horses in the barn. But she wasn't sure what else to expect. She didn't remember ever having any milk here, so she figured dairy cows were out of the question. Also, the mages didn't really want to spend more time tending livestock. She hoped that no surprises were waiting for her.

Pushing open the barn doors, Bee realized the place was empty. She checked several of the horses' stalls, but they all were deserted. Investigating more, she noticed that one stall had a broken latch at the end. The back door out to the corral was busted too. After a bit of neglect, it looked like the horses had broken out. Granted, she knew nothing about horses, but she figured they were trained to stay in their stalls, usually. Looking at the back pasture, she just thought a horse probably could have jumped the fence if it really wanted to.

On the one hand, she was quite glad that she didn't find any dead horses, but on the other hand, it would have been nice to have one around still. It would make traveling much more manageable. She checked the trough, and there was still water there, but it looked like the food in their stalls had all run out.

The chickens might help her with her food situation for a while, but she was going to need help if she wanted to keep them alive. Even more so if she wanted to keep the gardens healthy too. Besides, that chicken feed likely wouldn't last very long.

Having nothing better to do outside, she started toward the castle entrance.

I had to say, I was not a fan of the outside. So far it was all just dirt and filth everywhere. I was quite glad to be heading back inside. No wonder why the humans that came from the outside behaved so poorly. If someone had to spend their entire life in the dirt like that, it was not surprising that they would have no manners. Still, Beatrice appeared disappointed in her finds. It seemed that she didn't get the food she needed.

I wasn't sure how I could solve her problem. Honestly, I believed it was something she had to figure out for herself. But of course, if she asked for help, I would be more than willing to oblige.

When we got to the top of the stairs inside the castle, I was finally set back on the ground. I felt an urgent need to clean myself even though I hadn't touched the floor at all outside. Hopefully, my Automatic Maintenance would help with that. I'd have to experiment and see. But honestly, outside was a horrible place.

We headed back to the library. Beatrice spent the trip deep in thought. I assumed she was trying to figure out how to solve the issue that plagued her. It was good practice for her to figure out how to do things herself, so I didn't interrupt. However, when we rounded the corner, we passed the entrance to the great hall. From the alcove with the broom closet in it, I heard some odd noises. Almost like a woman crying.

Beatrice didn't seem to notice at first, lost in thought as she was. So I rolled in front of the door and stopped to get her attention. She also paused and seemed to listen. Her face went through a complicated series of emotions. Surprise, curiosity, horror, confusion, it was quite an impressive progression, to be honest. Eventually, she reached over and grabbed the doorknob to wrench it open.

It was a bit of an unpleasant sight. In the far corner of the small closet was a woman curled up and shaking violently. She didn't look very healthy. She was quite dirty, and my sensors told me she had a significantly lower percentage of water than an average human should.

Beatrice gasped and ran forward to crouch in front of her. She tilted the woman's chin up gently to look into her face. I saw the face of the woman, and recognized her. She was the woman who had attacked Beatrice. Clearly, this was not one of the good humans. I moved forward to protect my small human, but the woman made no aggressive actions. I remained cautious, though even more suspicious now that I had seen her living conditions firsthand.

The woman looked up into Beatrice's face uncomprehendingly. Beatrice asked her a few questions, but she made no move to answer. There was no recognition in her eyes or anything. Eventually, Beatrice let her head drop and stood back. This motion caused the woman to finally move and look around slowly. Finally, her eyes settled on me, and she started to scream.

Beatrice got between the woman and me. Then she quickly motioned for me to get back. I rolled around the corner out of sight. I couldn't figure out why she was so scared to see me. Sure, I tried to scare her off when we last met, but I didn't think I was that intimidating. Still, it was hard for me to feel much sympathy for her. She had been part of the group that attacked my human. But if my human was going to treat her nicely, I might as well try to do the same.

"Are you okay?" Bee asked. No, of course, she's not, Bee thought. She tried to put her hand on the woman's shoulder comfortingly, but she only shied away. "How long have you been in here?"

Looking at the cracked lips, she figured the woman must have been hiding in the closet for quite a while. She was severely dehydrated and clearly in need of a doctor. Was this what I looked like when I was stuck in this same closet? Bee thought. She didn't think she had been this bad. She had ventured out before she was anywhere near this state. Of course, she'd only had a few lesser demons to contend with, whereas now full-blown earth demons were running around. But then again, she hadn't even made level 1 at that point.

Even after waiting several moments, there was still no answer. Bee wasn't sure what else she could do. She tried one more time. "How did you get in here? I thought you and your friends left?"

This got a slightly different response. The woman started making a keening noise. It was strangely high-pitched, enough that it hurt Bee's ears. That's not progress. Carefully Bee took the woman's hand from her shoulder and started pulling her to her feet. The woman resisted at first. But Bee soon found that she was stronger than the weakened adventurer.

When Bee had first Scanned the woman, she had been at a significantly higher level than Bee. It seemed that in only a few short days, Bee had caught up. It only took a couple of seconds for the woman to give up and allow herself to be pulled to her feet. Bee slung the woman's arm over her shoulders. She half-carried, half-dragged the woman out into the hallway. The woman made no move to assist Bee but wasn't fighting her either. Her head simply lay against the smaller girl's shoulder as her feet dragged on the floor.

Checking the woman's face with her free hand, Bee realized why. It seemed that the woman had passed out. Bee stopped trying to support the woman and just picked her up, cradling the unconscious woman against her chest. It was an awkward position. Not because Bee didn't have the strength to do so, but because of the size difference. It just put into perspective how much stronger Bee had become since meeting Void. She was at a high level now, well beyond what someone her age would have ever dreamed about, but her proportions were still the ones of a young girl.

Carrying her awkward burden, Bee made her way from the library toward the closest room. She watched as her master sped ahead. Bee hoped that it was going to clear the way for them. She really didn't think she would be able to escape from even a lesser demon like this.

She made it to the first bedroom without seeing any demons at all. She silently thanked Void for protecting her and turned slightly to grab the door handle. It was a bit awkward to open, but she managed it. When navigating through the doorway, she bumped the woman's feet against the doorframe but managed to keep her head from doing the same. Once inside, she set the woman down on the bed.

Taking her waterskin, Bee carefully dribbled water over the woman's parched lips, praying that she wouldn't end up drowning her. With a slight cough, the woman swallowed a couple times. Bee sighed in relief. When the woman's eyes fluttered open and saw Bee's face, she shrunk back and quivered, whimpering. Eventually, Bee gave up trying to talk to her, just leaving her some water on the nightstand.

She shut the door behind her as she left. Bee supposed that the woman would be relatively safe in the bedroom. At least, as safe as anywhere else in the castle. Bee made her way back to the library, where she found Void waiting for her.

"I don't think I'll be able to care for her. She seemed to almost be as afraid of me as you. She must still think that I'm possessed or something. Well, I guess she would still think I'm serving a demon." The young girl rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I think we are going to need help. Both with her and with food. Maybe I can get some help with the Lieutenant too…"

CHAPTER 56

THE ROAD TO SALVATION

I was still trying to figure out what I thought of Beatrice going to find help. I had several issues with it, actually. First, it meant she'd be going outside. Far outside. Outside near the castle, that was reasonable, since there were apparently helpful things here. But farther than that? It would be dangerous. Who knew how much dirt would be there and how many other violent mess makers? Plus, every bad human I had ever met came from the outside.

Second, who knew what kind of "help" she'd end up with? Based on how she treated the human woman we found, she seemed to like the humans that attacked her. It didn't give me much faith in her as a judge of character. She could bring someone back who would only hurt her or cause more messes. What if they were a slob like some of the little human's friends back home, the kind that just left messes everywhere they went? They tracked dirt in, threw things around, and spilled their food. She could bring someone like that into the castle. Sure, the castle was bad enough that things couldn't be much messier right now, but soon it wouldn't be. I would have to work hard to fix it, but once I finished exterminating all these large dirt demons, I could get it into a reasonable state, at least.

Third, and perhaps most selfishly, I would be left alone. I supposed there would be the one human she'd leave behind, but this was not a good human, nor one I wanted to associate with. I usually learned a lot from humans and interactions with them. Who was to say anything I learned from her would be useful? I wouldn't want to be influenced by anything negative. More than that, though, I'd get lonely. Having a human around all the time was quite nice. I liked listening to Bee talk and having her carry me up and down stairs. Also, it gave my work meaning.

Why would I clean if there were no humans around to appreciate the order that I left behind? In that case, if I simply didn't clean, no one would even notice. Therefore, my job would have no purpose. Besides, standard human activity generated approximately 95 percent of the reasons I had to clean anything in the first place. So if there was no human to both appreciate my work and give me work to do, I thought I would feel rather pointless.

I really hoped that she would find another solution to her problems. But the food issue wasn't something I was particularly equipped to solve, nor the matter of human repairs. I still had yet to find spare human parts for Beatrice to use. Well, now that I thought about it, there might be a source for spare human parts right nearby… But then again, maybe not. I wouldn't want Beatrice to get affected by parts from a bad donor human.

I guessed when it came down to it, it really was Beatrice's decision to go find other humans. I could only wish her the best. When she first brought up the idea of going to get help, I briefly considered going with her, but ultimately that was a horrible idea. I was quite happy here in my castle, and I saw no real reason to go outside. Moreover, I didn't think I'd be any more prepared to deal with any threats out there than Beatrice was at this point. As long as there weren't massive demons roaming about there too. Which there probably were. Or worse. Though Beatrice seemed oddly unconcerned about such dangers, I decided to trust her judgment on this one tentatively. After all, she seemed far more familiar with the outside than I was.

Still, I wasn't exactly happy about the outcome, but as she explained more about her plan, I started to come around. Apparently, it was only a half day's journey there and half a day's journey back. She would "be back in a day." While I didn't doubt her theory, I would believe it when I saw it.

As she gathered her supplies, I stayed close, fussing over her selections and ensuring she got everything she needed. She had her broom, a set of glass tubes, and some extra food and water. She also brought a few books, along with many other things I needed help determining the purpose of. Soon I went from worried that she wouldn't have everything she needed to quite concerned about how she would carry all this stuff. Her pack was almost bigger than she was. Sometimes I forgot how meticulously she liked to plan for a job before she did it. Well, I was totally a fan of that, but there was such a thing as paralysis by analysis. Sometimes you just had to start cleaning, and as you cleaned, you figured it out.

Early the following day, I escorted her to the top of the stairs above the castle foyer. I waved goodbye with my Grabby Arm as she began her journey, fading from sight as she shut the castle door behind her. I had to stop and wonder what I was going to do next. The other human seemed to still be recharging, and Beatrice asked me not to disturb her, as she still seemed afraid of me for some reason. So as much as I would've liked to keep an eye on this bad human we had invited into our house, I would honor Beatrice's wishes and leave her alone. Provided that she wouldn't cause any trouble, of course.

No, I figured it'd be best for me to set some goals. The first and most obvious would be to get the castle back in order. But before I could restart my regular cleaning schedule, I needed to deal with the cause of this chaos. If each cage I had seen held an earth demon before, then thirty-four earth demons were now running around. I had only managed to consume three so far. So I still had thirty-one to go. At my current rate, I figured I could get at least twenty-five of them cleaned up before Beatrice made it back if she only took twenty-four hours. However, I expected her "one-day" estimate to cover all of today and most of tomorrow in reality. It just made sense, given her charging schedule. So I could aim to eliminate all of the earth demons before she got back. I thought that would be a good goal. The only issue I had with it was that I might have trouble finding them. My estimates only included a few minutes between finding each one. That seemed to be fine right now, but as their numbers dwindled, I imagined it would become more difficult. Especially with how infrequently they were already appearing.

There was also the consideration that I would hopefully become faster at this with practice. Leveling up seemed to help with that, as the skeletons had proven. Unfortunately, I had yet to reach the next threshold where the voice would tell me to pick a mutation. That would be at level 35. Currently I was at least level 32, so I should definitely hit level 35 soon, assuming these demons gave me lots of practice. Maybe even level 40?

With a plan in mind, I got to work, dedicating 3 percent of my processors to imagining what new abilities I would learn next.

Bee walked down the castle steps, her backpack thumping lightly against her with each step. Despite it being stuffed to the brim with heavy books, it felt like it weighed nothing. Part of that, of course, was her increased strength as a level 15 human. But really, she figured it might come from something else. Freedom. She was walking out of this castle for the first time in several months. She had been outside, of course, but being outside of the castle walls was different.

As she exited the gate, she thought about it. What was stopping her from never returning? She was level 15. This was about the same level as the adventures had been. Most people wouldn't reach that kind of strength until their middle years. And if she trained, she could become a famous warrior and adventurer. With her current level, she could probably get into any academy she wanted. A full sponsorship, one where she never had to rely on her father again.

So why did that feel so wrong? Why did she throw the thought out before truly considering it? First, of course, there was the concern that she had promised her soul to an all-powerful being, but the more she got to know Void, the less she was concerned about that. Maybe her master might actually support her if she wanted to strike out on her own. Of course, she wouldn't even be surprised if the whole "owning her soul" thing was a slight miscommunication. But even so, that didn't really matter; she still held the weight of her oath on her heart, even if it wasn't what Void intended. If Void called her home, she instinctively knew she'd have to answer for the sake of her own word. Even though it didn't strike her as the type to hold her to it. Even if it might release her if she just asked.

Still, despite all those considerations, she had every intention and desire to return to the castle. She had been 100 percent honest with her master. She planned to go to the hamlet and see if anyone could come to help her get the farm and chickens in order for a few days. Barring that, she'd hope to buy as much food as she could carry.

Bee was also pretty confident that all the tools she needed to fix the kitchen were in the castle. However, she was not nearly so certain about the associated supplies or how to use said tools. So maybe she needed someone not only to help with the farm and the chickens, but also to help with remodeling a kitchen. That was probably a bit of a stretch, but even basic carpentry would be very helpful. That would be plenty if she could just fix the water barrel and some of the stoves.

Her earlier concern about insufficient water was laid to rest when she discovered the well outside was perfectly intact. Still, the food was an issue. She didn't know how to cure meat or butcher animals, so many options were out. She either needed someone who knew how to do that or the ability to trade for what she lacked.

The more she built up this list in her head, the more she realized she might need more than a bit of help. It sounded like the castle really needed a full-time staff to function. Perhaps not to support her alone, but definitely to take advantage of all the resources and maintain all the different areas regularly. It was something she intellectually knew but had never really thought about too much. She figured the mages had probably deduced that themselves a long time ago. Hopefully, she could make do with a much smaller workforce than the mages. There was also the issue of pay. She was sure that the castle had large amounts of wealth somewhere. And clearly, there were lots of valuables that she could probably use for trade, but she hadn't had the freedom to pick any up before leaving. With the earth demons roaming around, it was just too dangerous. So she had only brought what little coin she had picked up so far.

It likely wouldn't be enough to hire anyone, but it probably wouldn't be enough to get her robbed, either. Not that she was really concerned about where she was going. There were very few people, and they had a good relationship with the castle at this point. They kind of needed to keep it that way, as it was their biggest customer.

These thoughts kept Bee busy as she found the path leading off through the woods toward the hamlet. As she considered where she needed to go, her Pathing skill triggered and pointed her directly off the track in a line leading right into the woods.

Bee sighed and continued on the beaten path. This skill had seemed like a dud so far. Perhaps it would take time to improve. Maybe she was just oblivious to how walking directly through a massive pile of leaves and turning to cross through that pile of deer droppings qualified as an "improved" path. Maybe it would become more powerful in the future. It was hard to say, especially since the skill didn't appear in any of the library books she had searched so far. It was almost as if she were the first person to receive the skill. That was unlikely, though.

All in all, the trip started off pretty uneventfully. It was a wide enough road that a horse could comfortably walk on it. Though if two horses met going in opposite directions, one would have to find a spot to pull off. That likely had never happened in the history of this road. It was unpaved, more of a slightly compressed trail of dirt rather than a real road. Weeds and greenery encroached on the edges, threatening to take back the infrequently used path and hide it. However, as she walked, she started noticing something. If she stopped paying attention and followed her skill, she found that while it would avoid rocks and other obstacles like fallen trees, it would lead her right to rough mud. Once it even caused her to veer off the path to stomp through a puddle. She really needed to figure out this skill. It seemed she still had a long way to go.

CHAPTER 57

SLEEP MODE

Despite the amount of work I had to do and my newly set goals, there were still a lot of emotions I was trying to process. More than I was used to. I wasn't used to being worried about a human. Normally, I wouldn't give something as small as my human going out a second thought. At times, all the humans in my previous house had left for days, even weeks. They hadn't even left the television on to keep me company, yet I had never worried about it at all. I tried to take solace in that as I thought about Beatrice’s departure. She would be back when she got back. But now that I had seen the outside… I trembled. Well, it made being carefree just that much harder.

As much as I was concerned over Beatrice's safety, I couldn't let the worry consume me. No, that would distract me from my work. I looked around me, scanning up and down the hallway. Boy, did I have work to do.

It wasn't just the several dozen earth demons running around. What bothered me even more was the mess they left. Their filth caked everything. A thick coating of dust, dirt, debris, and even some mud marred the once-beautiful floor. The granite and marble were almost completely hidden at times. In some areas, the coating was deep enough that I couldn't even move forward without vacuuming the debris first to clear a path.

On top of that, the demons had damaged many things. I spent a moment of silent mourning over a shattered vase that I had particularly liked. Normally there wasn't much I could do about damaged equipment, materials, or anything like that. However, I now had a much broader range of skills than before. So perhaps, with some ingenuity, I could figure something out. That wasn't to say I would become a master carpenter or anything, but who knows? With my improved Grabby Arm, I could manipulate things much better than ever before. Probably not to the level of a human with two opposable thumbs, but nothing too shabby. If only my Automatic Maintenance would work on other things as well as myself. I wondered if I had any way to influence a mutation's growth like that?

I brought my thoughts back to the present. I was getting ahead of myself. I still had to take care of all the demons first. If I started to just clean up the dirt they had left, they'd move around, and I would end up just where I started within a day. I knew that true cleanliness was temporary, sure. But I wanted to make sure it lasted a little longer than that, at least. Also, I needed to make sure that these demons weren't around by the time Beatrice got back. I didn't think she was anywhere close to the level of fighting these yet. She still needed lots of training, but something this strong would just get her killed.

Besides all that, I had also been asked to look after the woman in the bedroom. I would do my best. Based on her actions when we first met, I wasn't exactly her biggest fan. But if Beatrice was willing to forgive her, then I would also give her a second chance. I considered putting her on probation when she was up and running, so I could watch her every action carefully. If she so much as knocked a potted plant over, I would have to politely insist that she leave as soon as possible.

Still, it would be a danger to her as well as Beatrice if demons were creeping around. I continued down the hallway, deeper into the castle. There wasn't anything more I could do for Beatrice on her journey. I had trained her in cleaning and defense and hoped that these were adequate enough to survive outside. But I could ensure that she had an orderly home to return to. Focusing back on the task at hand, I pirouetted at the hallway intersection and trundled slowly toward the main room. It was time for me to deal with these mess makers.

Hunting demons wasn't nearly as fun or therapeutic as cleaning. When cleaning, I could make a plan, execute it, and measure my progress easily. In the end, a pristine floor was left behind, sparkling and giving me a sense of satisfaction. There was a clear journey and destination. Both of which I appreciated.

However, demon hunting had none of this. For one, it was much more stressful and variable. I had to chase moving targets and predict where they might be based on incomplete information. Even worse, the process of cleaning them up constantly had my processors on high to make adjustments and update my predictive models. All that just to get rid of the mess maker—using as much effort as I could usually spend optimizing my route for a whole floor ten times over. The process was just tedious and unpredictable. While necessary and good, the results also didn't feel as satisfying. After each encounter, I had to control my disappointment at the soiled floor around me. l cleaned up some of the dirt incidentally, but still. It was just so frustrating. Why couldn't these mess makers just behave? If they didn't spread so much dirt around, I wouldn't have to consume them, and we could just coexist peacefully. I wouldn't mind too much.

Of course, I tried to explain this to the first demon that I came across. It didn't seem very interested in listening to me. Not that I honestly expected it to. Instead, I tried to see the positives. Every time I vanquished a demon, there was less dirt being created. As I moved from one demon to the next, searching for my next opponent, I left my vacuum on. By no means did this refresh the floor to my usual standards, but just having it on did wonders for getting the surface dirt out.

I wasn't sure how much time it would save me when I came back to deep clean, and I specifically avoided that calculation. But it did make me feel better along the way.

The first several demons were very easy to find, thankfully. Soon enough, I was rewarded for my efforts after capturing the third one. The voice finally returned with new mutations.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 35 REACHED. EIGHTH MUTATION REACHED.

CHOOSE A MUTATION: AIR AFFINITY, AIR FRESHENER, ENDLESS HUNGER.

Hey, these options weren't half bad. I wasn't sure why, though. Were the earlier options just that terrible? Or was it that the voice was learning what I wanted?

Another thought occurred to me that felt less right but still plausible. Perhaps I just understood the implications of each mutation better? I thought back to the previous options I had received. It seemed unlikely since I couldn't really think of another option I would have reasonably chosen. The choice that stuck in my mind, though, was my first one. I did slightly regret not taking the Flight mutation. Or Interdimensional Travel. In fact, I couldn't quite believe that I had dismissed them so easily in the first place. But even then, I still considered Limitless Dustpan the right choice. I needed to stay true to my purpose, and the first few days here would have been unmanageable without it. Plus, heights scared me.

However, now there was not just one clear choice. That's what made me consider that these options were being tailored to me more seriously. Maybe I was getting the option of Air Affinity because of all the vacuuming I did? But that didn't make sense. I should have been offered this way earlier if that were the case. Maybe it was due to how I was using my vacuum to vanquish these earth demons? After all, it gave me Water Affinity after I started using my Mop more actively.

Honestly, I could have gone with any of these. Air Freshener was the safe choice, though. But I wasn't quite sure. I'd have to think about it for a bit longer. Hopefully, the voice didn't mind.

Patricia was running. Down hallway after identical hallway, with no end in sight. Matthew's screams seemed to come from every direction all at once. She wasn't sure if she was running toward them or away from them. But she did know that she was being pursued.

Shapeless demonic figures of every size chased her, practically nipping at her heels with every frantic step. She was exhausted and weak, but she couldn't stop. Their cackling and groaning mixed with the screams to form a mad cacophony that she couldn't escape. Her steps felt as slow as molasses, and the doors that lined the hallway seemed to only get further and further away as she approached. Gnarled fingers and hooked claws grasped at her, snagging on her cloak and hair. Patricia squeezed her eyes shut as she desperately ran.

But all of a sudden, everything disappeared. The sound, the pursuers, the claws. Everything was silent and still. Then, hesitantly, she opened her eyes. A figure stood before her. A young girl, about thirteen or fourteen, with long brown hair and pale skin. She was dressed plainly, in simple pants and a tunic, with a smock draped over her front. However, the feature that most caught Patricia's attention was her eyes. They were red, glowing orbs hovering above a broad toothy grin. It was her.

Before she could even register the new danger, Patricia felt a new sensation. An unseen force. Her entire body was being pulled back toward something. Dread settled over her as she looked back, horrified.

A massive black disk, at least fifteen feet tall, loomed over her. Darkness and wind swirled around it in a deadly cyclone, sucking in even the screams of the demons swirling helplessly around it. What had been a stone hallway was now a fractured facade of stone, pieces breaking off and disappearing into the hellish monster as it advanced.

Patricia tried to scream, but the sound was whisked away from her throat just as quickly as it formed. The force sucking her in became stronger. Sprinting forward, she quickly lost her footing and slammed to the floor. She scrabbled about on the smooth stone, trying desperately to hold on as the force slowly and steadily threatened to drag her back. All the while, the little girl's face grinned devilishly at her.

Patricia woke up in a panic. She had to stifle a scream, holding herself completely still so that she didn't alert anything out there with the noise. It was a dream. Only a dream.

Once her breathing and heart had settled, she noticed that she wasn't where she had expected. Looking around, she didn't see the now-familiar closet interior. Instead, she was in a bed. It was not a particularly soft bed, but it felt like a feather mattress compared to the stone floor. Sheets were pulled up around her. Cautiously, Patricia moved her arms and legs. She wasn't restrained. She was just…in bed. An unfamiliar one, to be sure, but a bed nonetheless.

As the adrenaline receded, the dehydration and hunger crashed over her once again. Her fear and suspicion weren't alleviated but were put on a slight hold. She felt parched but not nearly as much as before she had nodded off. Perhaps there was water or food around here. Sitting up, Patricia glanced around a small, nondescript room. There was a hearth, chair, wardrobe, and nightstand beside the bed. On the nightstand sat a leather waterskin and a couple of apples. Slowly she reached out for the waterskin. It still felt mostly full, and an experimental taste indicated that it was just water. Slowly, she wetted her lips and took small sips of the precious liquid. It was tempting to gulp the whole thing down, but she had learned better from Matthew. As she sat, she began to consider what had happened. Where was she? Had she been dreaming about the broom closet? Had someone saved her?

She rubbed her head, trying to piece together the events of the past week or so. It felt way too long to be a dream. And too detailed. But she couldn't find any explanation of where she was. Her hunger and thirst told her that the broom closet hadn't been a dream. It was very real. That meant that someone must have moved her here. Perhaps they sent out a second scouting party after them, or Arnold had brought reinforcements. Unless… Maybe Matthew had saved her? She tamped down the flicker of hope kindling in her chest. If he was alive, then everything would be okay. But she couldn't count on it.

Her thoughts felt slow and plodding as she worked through other explanations. Slowly a grim picture began to form in her mind. She couldn't think of any reason she was being treated so well unless…she hadn't been rescued. She looked at the door and saw that it was nearly identical to one for the broom closet. She was still in the castle, but had been captured. And they had plans for her. If they had left her unguarded, it was probably already too late. But it wasn't certain. She wasn't about to give up just yet just because her captors had confidence in her cooperation. What did they even want?

Thinking about her captors, she remembered the demon and the girl. Whether the girl was possessed or willingly cooperating, she couldn't really tell. Perhaps the girl had just been tricked. Patricia wasn't sure what the demon had planned for her, but it couldn't be good. Maybe it would try to brainwash her like it had the girl. Maybe she would be sacrificed or possessed or any number of terrible things.

Well, she had woken up before they had expected, so she had to take her chances and try to escape. She munched on an apple gratefully and glanced at the waterskin once more suspiciously. Maybe this was part of their plan. Even so, she was so weak that she'd have no chance of escape without sustenance.

It took Patricia a decent amount of time before her limbs were fully functional again. She was more dehydrated than she'd thought. Over the course of twenty minutes or so, she finished off the waterskin. Eventually, she was able to swing her legs out of bed and shakily get to her feet. She was still in her combat gear for the most part. None of her knives or equipment were on her, but her clothes were. They felt stiff and crusty after several days of living in them.

Still, hygiene would have to wait. Looking around the room, she actually found her staff, knives, and other equipment in the wardrobe, along with her cloak. That was very odd. She supposed if the demon had planned on possessing her, it would be useful to still have her tools nearby. She must have been very lucky that their plans didn't work. She wasn't sure if it had failed and they just hadn't realized it yet, or if they simply hadn't acted yet. Either way, she needed to make her way out as fast as possible. Her legs were still shaky, but now that she had all of her gear, she needed to get out.

She pictured the castle layout and figured the best way out was the fastest. It wouldn't be useful to try to retrace her steps. She didn't trust herself to be stealthy in her state, and the longer she took, the more likely she was to encounter one of the castle's guards. Earth demons were not something she could fight right now. Or really fight at all by herself. She would need a full party behind her to finish one off, not to mention the sheer number she had seen around here. No, her best chance was speed; she'd have to hope she just got lucky and avoided everything.

Still, that didn't mean that she had to be reckless. She carefully opened the door and peeked out. Right outside, gliding past, was the demon. The small black uncategorized demon. Dust swarmed toward it and was sucked into its underbelly. Even the light itself seemed to do the same. She could actually see particles in the air bending toward it as it went by. Its very presence caused everything around to be devoured.

All of the composure Patricia had maintained was gone in an instant. She let out a shriek and ran, stumbling toward where she thought the castle entrance would be.

CHAPTER 58

CHARGING STATION

It was getting dark by the time the small gathering of huts came into view. The trail Bee was on didn't lead directly there; instead, it led into a huge clearing in the forest and just kind of stopped. In the center of the clearing were small squat buildings with thatched roofs, but all around were fields growing crops. The trail took her a quarter of the way around the clearing before she found a clear path through the fields, where she wouldn't trample over any crops as she approached.

It was taking her way longer than expected to get there. She had spent almost an entire day walking. Her Improved Pathing skill had prevented her from getting lost, but she wasn't sure it had expedited the trip. There were several unexpected forks on the trails, and she always knew which one to take, but the way it led her through a lot of the more minor obstacles resulted in a lot of her falling down or having to spend time picking burrs out of her pants.

By the time she had made it to the hamlet, the sun was disappearing behind the horizon. As she was about halfway through the field, an older lady spotted her from afar and gave her an inquisitive look. The woman yelled something over her shoulder, and a young man jogged out of one of the huts. Taking one look at Bee, he ran toward her.

As he approached, Beatrice got a better look at the man. She'd been able to tell he was older than her from a distance, but now that he was closer, she could tell that he had reached manhood fairly recently. Out of habit, she ran a Scan on him.

Name: Anthony Gonzalez, Race: Human, Class: Farmer, Level 6

Oh nice, her Scan had given her more information. It gave her both a specific class as well the man's last name. She guessed those were effects of leveling up. She was rather impressed by what she saw, though, since she expected a level 6 man to be older. He must have worked really hard. The Farmer class was a common one but still one that provided substantial benefits in its field. Trying to farm without it was practically impossible. Still, living out here in such a remote area must have given him plenty of options for hunting to receive those first five levels.

Bee stopped and waited for Anthony to reach her. Her tiredness had started to take its toll, though quietly and without her noticing too much. She didn't even realize that she needed steadying when he reached out his hand and gripped her shoulder gently. She looked up into his face and found his eyes. They were sky blue with speckles of green in them. His irises were hidden behind long lashes and a fringe of dirty blonde hair that flowed down his forehead. After she took in his eyes, she glanced over the rest of his face. That was when she realized his mouth was moving.

"Sorry, what?" Bee blurted out.

"Are you okay?" he repeated. She watched his eyebrows pinch together in worry. Apparently, she had been staring while he waited for a response.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just tired," Bee finally said. "I didn't realize that the trek was only half a day on a horse."

"Where did you come from?" Anthony asked. As he spoke, he moved to help her out of her bulging pack. She obliged, shrugging out of the straps. The pack almost hit the ground when she dropped the weight off of one shoulder so he could take it. Anthony swung the pack over his shoulder with a grunt, giving her an appraising look.

"I came from the castle. Do people come from anywhere else?"

As Bee spoke, she gestured to the trail she had come from. Anthony shook his head, "No, but usually we expect William, and he normally rides a horse with a train of pack animals."

"Oh." Bee blinked slowly. "Just me this time. There have been some, uh, changes at the castle."

"You're one of the apprentices, right? I didn't know that they took them in so young! And they didn't even give you a horse. How are you supposed to bring anything back with you?"

"Hey, I'm thirteen!" Bee pouted. At this point, no one would get away with treating her like a child. "But I've only been there for a couple of months. I'm actually the only one there, right now—"

"What! They left you all alone there? Why would they do that?!"

Bee winced at that last outburst. He sounded angry and had been rather loud. "There were some extenuating circumstances. I don't blame them."

Anthony took a deep breath and held out a hand. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Anthony, but my friends call me Tony," he said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Tony," Bee said, feeling her cheeks heat up. She was glad she hadn't accidentally called him by his name before he introduced himself. That was one pitfall to watch out for with Scan. She also had forgotten to introduce herself. As a guest, how rude was it to show up unannounced and not even give your name? Bee guessed she had technically said who she was, but had just forgotten to state her name. "I'm Bee."

"So Bee, were you not able to go home to your family after everyone left?" As Tony spoke, he began to lead her back to the huts. Now that Bee wasn't carrying her pack, walking felt much easier. "And what brings you out here?"

"Well, I'm in a bit of a bind. I need to buy some food and maybe get some help with repairs." Bee kept things simple for now. If she went into her long list of problems, she might overwhelm him. That, and the demon situation was pretty intimidating. Tony didn't need to know about it yet.

The man's mouth turned down into a frown. "Get some supplies? Repairs? There is no one there, you said, right? Why don't you just leave for wherever home is? If you need to, you can stay here for a while."

That caused some bitter thoughts to resurface. "Home isn't really an option. I appreciate the offer of hospitality, and I might just take you up on it for a day, but I really need to get back soon."

"Well, at least stay the night. You're not getting back today even if you left now." Tony pointed at the stars beginning to faintly show overhead. "My parents even have a spare room. It's no trouble at all."

Bee gave a grateful nod as they walked toward the group of huts; meanwhile, Tony told her a little about life in the hamlet. Apparently, there were a few families that lived out here for nine months of the year. During the winter, they would go stay in Greg while there were no crops to tend. Apparently, supplying the mages' college was more of a long-term job that paid rather well. This was the first year his older sister hadn't come to help, as she had gotten married to a local merchant in the city. Without her help, his parents weren't sure how much longer they would be able to keep this up.

He was the oldest of six brothers and sisters that provided most of the workforce. All but his sister were here to help with the crops. However, his parents were getting up there in age. This job had paid well enough for them to buy a nice house in Greg, and they had probably saved enough to retire. They had been trying to convince Tony to take over their family business ever since his sister married.

"Do you want to run the family business?" Bee asked. Between her lightened load and the casual pace Tony set, she had recovered a bit.

Tony hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, I like it here, and I got the Farmer class, so it would make sense. But I've been doing this since I could walk, about twenty years now. I would like to go somewhere new for a bit. Maybe have my own farm. Sure, the castle pays really well, but it's not the same as running your own thing."

As Tony continued on, Bee just listened. Tony was a talkative guy, but not in an overbearing way. Honestly, he was good at telling stories. The way he spoke with a captivating, soothing tone. Not just the words he said but the way he said them. He spoke with such passion and seemed to not just be speaking for speaking's sake. He would pause to make sure she had a chance to speak if she wanted to, and sometimes she asked a question about what he thought or what kind of crops he liked. Not that she knew anything about crops or farming, but he made it sound so interesting. She felt like she could listen to him talk for ages.

Soon Bee found that they were in the hamlet proper. Tony pointed out the hut nearest them as a couple of younger children came out to greet them. A boy and a girl, both a few years younger than Bee. Tony called out to them. "Maranda, go tell Ma that we have a guest for dinner."

The girl, Maranda apparently, grinned widely. She darted back inside with a quick, "'Kay!"

The boy ran up to them and started peppering Tony with questions. "Who is she? Where did she come from?"

Tony just laughed and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair. "She is right here. You can ask her yourself."

The boy followed Tony's gesturing hand, his eyes not quite meeting Beatrice's. His face turned red, and he muttered something to the ground. Tony nudged Bee's shoulder, a faint look of surprise flashing across his face when she didn't even budge. He caught himself quickly. "Haha, don't worry. Jake still can't talk to pretty girls."

Now both of them were bright red. Tony just laughed at the children and led the way to the farmhouse entrance.

Bee realized that she had misjudged the size of what she thought were huts. They were really just much further away than expected. Now that she was up close, they seemed to be ordinarily sized houses. As they walked in, the cacophony of children's voices and banging pans assaulted her ears. She soaked it in. After all these days alone, Bee felt the presence of so many friendly people wash over her like a wave.

I was quite surprised to see the woman stick her head out the door. I was even more surprised when she yelled at me and then began running. What was she doing? I wasn't sure what her plans were, but running in that direction she was pretty certain to find a demon. I had been clearing out all the enemies starting from the front of the castle by the entrance and working my way backward. But she was running right into a troublesome area. I zoomed ahead of her, trying to cut her off. She must have heard me coming because she started running faster, doubling down again when she looked back and saw me.

I really didn't understand humans. I didn't think the demons would be very nice to her. Despite her best efforts, I was much faster, and I spun around in front of her with a warning beep. I did my best to impress upon her that this was not the direction she should be going. If she really needed to go for a walk or get some exercise, she should have done so in the safe areas at the front of the castle.

She seemed to get the message, as she skidded to a halt and started running just as fast in the other direction. Which, to be fair, was not very fast. Honestly, even Beatrice could probably outrun her. Curious about what she was planning on doing, I followed her at a distance matching her pace. I stayed close but tried to keep enough distance so as not to scare her.

I had promised Beatrice to look out for her, so I needed to be close enough to help if she got too close to an earth demon. As I followed her, I tried to do a bit of cleaning, just so I wasn't completely wasting time. Even if I wasn't going to be removing more earth demons right now, that didn't mean I couldn't be productive.

When she ran down the stairs to the front door, I wasn't able to follow anymore. Well, at least there weren't any demons out there that I knew of. She would probably be safe. It was where she belonged, after all. I hoped she would make it home just fine. As long as she didn't come back.

CHAPTER 59

A BOUNTY OF CRUMBS

Bee followed Tony into the house. She hung back, a little wary of stepping into the flurry of people scurrying about. The noise was slightly overwhelming to her after so much time alone. Though honestly, she wouldn't have been used to it even before her stay in the castle. She was an only child and her father had been well-off enough to hire a cook, so this chaotic preparation for a family dinner was something new.

Dinner was meant to be an uncomfortable affair with stern looks and boring adult conversations. More of a training ground to practice etiquette and manners than anything else. Bee stood in the entryway, frozen as the complete opposite of that happened all around her. Tony called out, "Ma, we got a guest!"

A rather rotund woman with hair in a graying bun raised her hand and waved without turning around. She tended to a cast-iron skillet cooking something that smelled delicious. Tony just stepped up and started helping his siblings ferry dishes to the table. A few seconds later, the woman turned around, flipping a slab of meat and smiling at Bee. She beckoned Bee over.

When Bee finished carefully wading through the bustling family members and navigating over to the woman, she was handed a dish full of mashed potatoes. "Dear, place those on the table, please."

Then the woman turned back to the stove. Left slightly confused, Bee carried the dish over to the table. Standing amongst what felt like a tornado of activity, she looked for a spot to place the potatoes. Luckily someone came to her aid. Bee hadn't noticed the little girl, no older than five, suddenly standing at her elbow. She barely avoided spilling the potatoes as she jumped. The little girl just placed a trivet on the table and then slid it to the center as far as her little arms could reach. Bee took the hint and placed the warm dish on it before sliding it the rest of the way toward the center.

The little girl had already disappeared. This left Bee standing there, still slightly bewildered. That is, until she got roped into helping with the silverware.

The bustle came to a halt all of a sudden, and Bee found herself sitting between Maranda and Tony. Her plate was heaped high with all sorts of food, and she was helping pass around the dishes. Her mouth watered at the aromas. Still, she had to skip many of them. They looked amazing—steamed vegetables, warm bread, and various cuts of meat wafted temptingly under her nose. But there was no more room on her plate. If she was lucky, there might be some leftovers of the sides once she cleared some space.

When everyone got what they wanted, they all dug in. As they ate, no one talked. But it wasn't the oppressive quiet that had reigned at her father's table back home. The noise of people eating and utensils clinking filled the air with a merry atmosphere. After a few minutes of everyone digging in, the older man sitting at the head of the table asked for someone to pass him the butter. With that, a spell was broken, and everyone started talking at once.

Bee watched as the scene unfolded before her. The mother cajoled her youngest daughter into eating her vegetables, shooting a sharp rebuke across the table at the brothers as they fought over the last roll. Tony spoke with his father about something farm-related as some of the other siblings vied for their attention or chatted with each other through mouthfuls of food. Maranda made sure Bee wasn't left out. "We jus' got done with some of the early crops n' stuff. Normally s'not this formal."

This left Bee taken aback slightly. Was this formal? She finished swallowing her food before answering. A courtesy Maranda hadn't bothered with. "What's it normally like, then?"

"Dunno, just normal? We eat, but it's less food, and we dun use the fancy plates." Maranda looked at her, slightly confused by her question. Bee looked down at her plate. It was slightly chipped ceramic that looked to be covered in a plain white glaze.

Tony came to her rescue. "Maranda, I'm sure not everyone eats like this. I'm sure meals in the castle are quite different, aren't they, Bee?"

Still suffering from a bit of culture shock, she nodded and, in a rare moment of silence, started to feel slightly uncomfortable as they both stared at her. To shed her discomfort, Bee started to explain how she normally ate with all the apprentices. One of the younger brothers started listening in. Soon she was being bombarded by questions coming from multiple sources.

It wasn't until after the dinner that the adults really started to talk. They asked her a couple questions about why she was there and what she wanted. She answered truthfully. She needed some supplies, and she was currently alone in the castle. Well, not entirely alone. There was someone unrelated to the castle who was there and injured and needed help.

She figured that it was weird enough that she'd come alone, without a horse or a cart, that they already knew something was wrong. After she answered the broadest level questions, the adults looked at each other and seemed to come to some silent agreement. The topic quickly changed, and the whole family returned to their merry evening.

It wasn't long until all the children had gone off to their rooms for bed that they resumed their conversation. That left the parents, Tony, and her sitting around an empty table.

The older woman cleared her throat. "I'm sorry you came in during such a busy time. I totally forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mary, and this is my husband, Trent." Mary gestured to the well-built man sitting beside her with slightly graying hair. He grunted a greeting to Bee as Mary continued. "I see you've already met Tony."

"I'm also sorry for not introducing myself, but I must thank you for your hospitality. I don't think I have ever had such a welcome meal before." Bee smiled sheepishly at the couple as she did her best to remember the lessons her father had drilled into her. "I'm Bee."

Trent harrumphed and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Now, I understand you're in a bit of trouble up in the castle, so why don't you tell us what's going on?"

His manner wasn't unpleasant or rude in any way. However, he had a gruff voice that intimidated Bee. But after seeing how much affection he had shown the children so far, the more she felt at ease with him.

"Well, all the mages had to leave because of an emergency." Bee was careful to leave out how the cause of the emergency was still in the castle and how frantically the mages had fled. It wasn't that she wanted to lie to them, but she didn't want them to think they were in danger from Void. "And in the rush to leave, I got left behind. I don't expect them to be back anytime soon. Unfortunately, many of them had to go to deal with an emergency a ways away. Because of that, I've started to run out of food, plus I'm having trouble caring for the animals and plants there."

She had to be a little looser with the truth than she really wanted to be. But she had the feeling that they would just offer her a place to stay here if she didn't have a reason to get back. Without a reason to decline, she would seem suspicious. For the same reason, she also didn't mention the recovering adventurer she had just found.

She was about to go on, but Trent bent double, coughing quite ferociously. She kept expecting it to stop, but it continued on for almost a dozen hacks. When he took his mouth away from his sleeve, she saw spots of blood there. He just waved off the concerned look his wife gave him. "Don't worry about me; I'll be fine, just a cold. Having a little trouble getting over it."

Bee severely doubted that. She had read no small amount of medical texts when trying to fix her broken bones. Coughing up blood was a very bad symptom. It usually had to do with a sickness of the lungs. From the look that Mary gave her husband, she clearly wasn't buying it either. However, she let it go without saying anything. She turned to Bee and said, "Well, we weren't expecting a member of the castle for several weeks yet. The harvest would usually be ready for them to collect around then. Sometimes they come here when they need repairs that they can't manage, but that's pretty infrequent."

Mary frowned and thought for a moment. "The real question is, how can we help you? Aside from the crops we have, our neighbor is a part-time blacksmith. He is by no means good, but he can repair a horseshoe or two. His words, not mine, though."

Bee was still studying Trent but responded to Mary's question. "If you have any food to spare or maybe just some advice on caring for chickens, I would be grateful."

Tony shot a look at his mother. She looked back with a slight frown on her face. She made to speak, but then she looked over at Trent. Bee felt like she had just missed something important. It was like the family could hold entire conversations just through looks alone, but it wasn't her place to pry. She instead focused on Trent's cough. In fact, she remembered where she had read about it.

Suddenly Bee stood up and moved to her pack. The family's eyes followed her, but they didn't say anything, still having their silent discussion amongst themselves. She started rummaging through the pockets, looking for a general-purpose medicinal alchemy book she had brought along.

"I think we can give you some food, but despite what it might look like tonight, we really don't have too much to spare until next month. I can definitely tell you a bit about caring for chickens, though," Trent called over the sounds of clinking glasses and shifting supplies.

"I would appreciate anything. Of course, I brought some coins to trade. I don't want to lean on your generosity too much. Also, the vegetable gardens they kept are starting to get overrun. I don't think they are anything near the size of what you have here, but I have absolutely no idea how to care for them. So if you can provide any advice on that front, too, I would greatly appreciate it."

At the mention of the coin, Mary and Trent seemed to relax slightly. They were clearly willing to help, but if their pride allowed them to take coins, things must have been tighter than she thought.

I raced after the demon. This was the twelfth one this night alone. They had started to get smart. Not that they were particularly smart, but they were capable of learning. No longer would they stay and fight if they saw me. In fact, this one started to run the instant it noticed my approach. It wasn't too much of an issue, as I was still faster than them, but they had started to work together. I only hoped they didn't start hiding soon. Or retreating up any stairs.

It really would have been much more of an issue if it hadn't been for my latest mutation. The Air Affinity mutation was unlike any of the others. Instead of giving me a new attachment or upgrade that changed my internal machinery, it allowed me to directly control the air slightly. It was kind of like pointing a vacuum in a particular direction rather than just having it pointing at the ceiling. It was hard to explain how exactly it worked, but it did. And I was starting to really get the hang of it.

I didn't have to only pull the air toward me anymore. Even though that was what I primarily did, being a vacuum and all. I could push things sideways or even away from me. For now, it was not a very strong gust of air, but still noticeable. I had a lot of fun making the tapestries on the wall wave. It looked like the seas of grass they were depicting were rippling in the breeze.

This had more of an immediate effect than I first thought it would. The directional vacuum greatly increased my combat capabilities compared to these earth demons. It increased the material I could consume from one of them by nearly 30 percent. It also slowed them down more, making it even harder for them to run away.

On top of that, the directionality let me turn my vacuum on higher without the worry of damaging the surroundings, as I now could avoid absolutely trashing the carpet on full suction. I could direct the air around certain areas and items to spare them or even change the amount of suction that different spots received. The amount of chasing I was doing was getting a bit ridiculous, though. Between the constant use of my Sanitation Lamp, the vacuum, and running at top speed, my battery drained very quickly. I'd already had to transmute a couple of the lesser demons I had stored away for later.

I put on one last burst of vacuum power, dislodging a considerable chunk from my prey. I darted forward, and the last of its earthen form disintegrated, a quick swirl of sandy material whisked away by my brushes. As satisfying as it was to work on eradicating these demons, I didn't feel like I could savor it much. At the rate I currently was going, I likely wouldn't finish ridding the castle of them completely by the time Beatrice returned. Well, that wouldn't be the end of the world. It would be nice to have her come home to a safe house, though. As I wished for a tiny bit more time to finish my work, I also hoped she would get back soon. It was quite lonely here.

CHAPTER 60

RUNNING AMUCK

After a bit of negotiation, Bee was able to strike a deal with Tony's family. Of course, the family didn't take the coins without protest. But it was a fairly feeble one, and soon she was able to press the sum into Trent's hands. Still, she managed to keep their pride intact in the process. Arguing that she had already received too much of their hospitality and couldn't take food without paying for it turned out to be a good angle. Perhaps she was being cynical, or her father's business sense had rubbed off on her more than she thought. Still, she felt like she was using the skills he had tried to teach her for better purposes. After finishing the negotiations, she mentioned the book she had retrieved. Unlike her father, she would be doing good instead of tricking people out of their money.

"Part of my studies at the college have focused on the healing arts. Can I see your sleeve?" Bee said, addressing Trent.

He growled in protest that he was just fine. But with his wife firmly on Bee's side, his resistance didn't last long. With an exasperated look, he let her take his sleeve. Sure enough, there were spots of blood that Bee thought she had seen when he was coughing. She compared their color to the descriptions in the book. It was as she feared.

"Okay, so this is more serious than you probably would like to think. Your lungs are bleeding," Bee stated, flipping through a few pages.

"Nonsense! It's just a cough. I get them sometimes. Just caused by a lot of work, but I'll recover just fine once the harvest is done. Happens every year," Trent protested.

"This happens every year? As in, you cough up blood every year?" Bee asked, surprised and not completely believing him.

"Well," the man hesitated, "the blood is new, but I figured I had just bit my tongue rather hard at dinner." The last statement wasn't very convincing.

"No, the color of the blood is off from that. If you just bite your tongue, it would be…this shade of red, not this shade." She indicated two passages in the book that she had been referring to. "But don't worry about it. I have some things that can fix it in a day or two." Bee returned to her pack and started retrieving some of the alchemy equipment. "I'm just going to need some clean water."

Tony had been rather quiet recently, but at Bee's request, he suddenly stood and jogged out the door. A look of relief crossed Mary's face. It seemed that this was something they had been worrying about for a while. Bee was just grateful that they seemed to trust her, a relative stranger and child, to know medicine. It was probably due to the relationship with the castle and regular interactions with mages.

Tony returned with a bucket of water. "I got this from the well. Is this enough?"

With a glance at the bucket, Bee estimated its volume. "It should be far more than we need. Can you go boil it for ten minutes?"

Tony nodded, but Mary stood up and took the bucket from him, moving to put a pot on the stove. Having nothing to contribute again, Tony moved to sit next to Bee. He and his father watched her set up her alchemy equipment carefully. They didn't disturb her as she was setting up vessels and scales, but once she started laying out bags of ingredients, Tony spoke again. "How long have you been practicing medicine? I'm surprised they started you off this young. Everyone knows that new apprentices spend most of their time cleaning."

Beatrice flushed. Was that true? Had she really been getting so upset about her chores when everyone started out that way? Well, that was behind her now. "A few months. I've mostly healed a few broken bones."

She knew she was exaggerating, but she figured a white lie would better put the room at ease. So Bee pulled out a mortar and pestle and began grinding some ingredients. She also started combining things into premade mixes so she could just throw them in when ready.

"Well, you certainly look like you know what you are doing," Trent commented. He looked impressed by her steady hand and confident motions.

Since she wasn't doing anything too complex, Bee felt free to respond. Quickly, the men's questions turned her preparations into a miniature alchemy lesson. Clearly, they didn't know anything about alchemy. Still, she felt they were being more than just polite and engaging in conversation. After being alone for so long, Bee was just happy to talk to someone.

When the water was done boiling, she was truly ready to begin. Her observers seemed to realize her need for concentration and mostly watched in silence as she worked combining everything. It took her almost fifteen minutes. Trent was racked by a coughing fit twice more during the time. But somehow, she managed to get it right on the first try.

She was left with a small vial of violet, odorless liquid when she was done. She poured it into three smaller vials, stoppering two of them and handing one to Trent. "Drink this one tonight. And one each night until you run out."

Quickly he tossed the vial back, grimacing at the taste. He waited for a second as if he was expecting a reaction. When he didn't have one, he looked slightly surprised. "Huh. Normally, when I drink something, I feel the need to cough afterward."

Bee nodded. "Your symptoms will be gone for now. Make sure you finish both of those other portions tomorrow and the day after. If you don't, it will come back, and it won't be so easy to fix this time. I'll make a second set in case anyone else starts showing the same signs."

Trent nodded in understanding. It was a bit too casual for her liking, and she wasn't sure if she could trust him to take the medicine. But when she saw Mary shooting Trent a look, she figured it would be fine. Catching his wife's insistence, Trent nodded again, more seriously this time. "Don't worry, I will."

"Now, dear, is there any particular way I should store these?" Mary asked.

Bee thought about it for a second. "The darker and colder, the better. But they shouldn't need any special handling. They should last long enough just like this to see if anyone else is sick, but better safe than sorry."

Something else occurred to her. She had used hortroot in the potions. On its own it was stable, but based on what else was in the potion… "Actually, after three months, be sure to throw them out. Don't let anyone drink them after that. In fact, pour them out away from your house or any plants you want to live."

A little taken aback by Bee's warning, Mary nodded. However, she wasn't done there. Instead, she reached for the bag of coins lying on the kitchen table. "After this, we certainly can't accept these."

I had a fun night chasing down earth demons. The better I got at it, the closer it became to actual cleaning. After a while, it took on many of the same aspects. It was a repetitive, almost meditative task that could be completed without too much thought once you had a decent plan. Then, of course, there was the satisfaction of removing imperfections from the environment and all the other benefits.

This change in mindset almost made consuming the last one bittersweet. The whole process had gotten easier with practice, and I had gotten much faster. Unfortunately, I hadn't considered my improvements when considering if I would finish removing all the demons before Beatrice's return. That led to my finishing much earlier than expected.

When I first realized that I would be done much earlier, I despaired slightly. I was hoping to keep myself occupied while she was gone. However, it didn't take long for me to dispel the thought as I took in my surroundings. Just looking at the wake of the last demons I vanquished was enough to tell me how much I had left to do in front of me.

Unfortunately, the effects of the demons were not all things I could take care of. It was disappointing, but I knew my abilities, and carpentry or furniture repair were not among them. Luckily, it seemed that the earth demons were not very adventurous. They hadn't seemed to realize that doors were different from walls unless they saw someone go through them. This was convenient, as it kept the damage to a minimum, since they weren't busting down doors right and left.

However, they didn't have the same issue with stairs that I did. That made it so that I occasionally had to wait until they came back downstairs once only a few were left. I shuddered at what other disasters must be waiting upstairs. When Beatrice got back, I would have to insist that we ventured up to put those rooms in order.

Still, after the last demon was finished, I began my more standard work of cleaning the floors with delight. I started in the bedrooms, systematically cleaning each one. Compared to the first time I cleaned these rooms, things went by orders of magnitude faster. That was despite the level of dirt being much higher than back then. It was unfortunate there was nothing I could do about the piles of splinters where there had once been chairs and wardrobes, though.

As I continued my quest to eradicate the dirt introduced to my home, I noticed that I had an observer. As I cleaned each room, I felt eyes on me. Something was watching me; I was sure of it. As I moved from room to room, I heard a light patter of something soft on stone following me. I was pretty sure I knew what it was, but I respected its desire to stay hidden as long as it didn't interfere with my work.

When I had seen this creature last, I behaved rudely, according to Beatrice. Unfortunately, I had no way of making amends, but I hoped that perhaps this fuzzy little beast was here to forgive me. While I would also have appreciated an equivalent apology for the glass knocked over and the blatant taunting, I had a feeling that I was not going to receive that.

So I continued cleaning each room and righting the furniture to the best of my abilities. All the while ignoring my audience.

It wasn't until thirty-four minutes into the cleaning session, when I entered the twelfth bedroom, that I saw it. While I was under the bed chasing dust bunnies, I heard a thump. I finished catching all the bunnies. They never had posed much of an issue before, and to be honest, I didn't really even need to go under the bed for them. The only reason I did was that my Air Affinity didn't quite give me enough control to root them out without disturbing the blanket on top of the bed.

When I came out, I quickly realized what the thump had been. It seemed the cat had jumped onto the wardrobe. I could see the silhouette of its pointed ears, along with a pair of slitted eyes watching me as I quickly visited the other corners of the room. I didn't acknowledge its presence, content to keep the companionable silence. Besides, I wasn't sure what to say yet, and I didn't want to scare it off.

Giving the room a quick once over, I was satisfied and moved on to the next one. The soft sound of four paws landing on stone let me know that the cat was following me as I moved to the thirtieth room.

This time the cat wasn't even trying to hide. I did appreciate it staying out of the way, though. It just jumped on the bed and continued to watch me intently. Occasionally as I moved, it cocked its head at me as if it was trying to figure me out. Despite my best efforts to keep my attention on my cleaning, I was watching it with almost as much intensity.

CHAPTER 61

DUST IN THE WIND

I continued to play along with the cat's pursuit, content to just work in silence. It wasn't the same as having a companion like Beatrice to help me actually do the work, but it was nice in its own way. Though honestly, Beatrice was about as helpful as the cat. I knew she tried, but the amount of cleaning she actually managed to get in was easily offset by the amount of times she got in the way. The only material contribution was her ability to clean surfaces that I couldn't reach. Now with my control over the air improving by the minute, I wasn't sure how much longer that would be the case.

That's not to say that I didn't appreciate all the other things she did for me. This was only about cleaning. Her help traversing the stairs was invaluable, and I was already deeply in her debt for that. I could only imagine that my debt would continue to grow in the future.

After I finished the last of the small bedrooms, I started working on some of the other areas. The whole time my new companion followed me. I started to wonder how it had survived these last few days. The demons had been running around for quite a while, and the most recent ones were quite strong. This cat must have been resourceful to have hidden so well for so long.

The larger rooms had more personal objects. Small baubles, decorations, and other items that were out of my reach, but gave the room a nice homey feel. In this particular area, a small framed picture of a family sat atop the mantle, smiling down on me. I stopped for just a moment to admire it. It was strange. The image gave me a sense of nostalgia and longing for my original human family. As much as I was being useful here and training to improve, I did miss them. Perhaps one day they'd come pick me up and return me to my warm charging bed. But then, what would Beatrice do? I had become quite fond of her, after all. Would I have to leave her behind?

My musings were interrupted as my furry companion leapt gracefully onto the mantle, taking a seat next to the picture. Flashbacks of the kitchen incident came to the forefront of my memory banks. Not good. Before I could even give the creature any benefit of the doubt, I noticed its paw slowly nudging the picture frame toward the edge. Yeah, that was not going to work for me.

In an effort to politely dissuade the cat, I gave it a beep of rebuke. The cat gave a startled jump and looked at me, surprised. I attempted to convey my disapproval as I observed it. But within just a few seconds, it lost interest in me and was back to nudging the picture. I rapidly considered my options. I couldn't reach it with my Grabby Arm. Nor did I want to hurt the cat with my Sanitation Lamp or anything like that. With its current power, I could see it at least burning some of the cat's fur off, if not injuring it directly. I imagined that Beatrice would be displeased at that.

I didn't want to spray it with any harmful chemicals, either. But then I realized I had something I hadn't tried yet. Supposedly my Spray Bottle could spray any liquid that I had stored. It just defaulted to the particular chemical compound I now generated. I had some water left over in my dustpan, though. Hoping against hope that this would deter the cat, I aimed my Spray Bottle and fired.

A thin stream of water flew across the room, scoring a direct hit on the cat's flank. This time, my actions were taken more seriously. It jumped several feet in the air, made a strange yowling noise, and sprinted out of the room. The picture remained on the mantle, dry and no longer in immediate danger. I wouldn't say this was an ideal situation, but it was one I could live with. I didn't think this was nearly as rude as chasing it around the castle trying to consume it, but it wasn't as polite as I would have liked to be. Still, desperate times called for desperate measures.

I heard the patter of its feet stop pretty much right as it rounded the corner. Clearly, it wasn't too upset. My sensors indicated that it was just sitting there, trying to watch me covertly. I continued cleaning the room, but with my current pace, it was only a few minutes before I passed the cat on the way out. And like before, it followed me at a distance as I moved to the next room to clean.

The cat didn't try to knock over anything on the mantle in the next several rooms. I was content. Perhaps we had finally reached an understanding. Mostly I just counted down the time to when I expected Beatrice to return. I kept telling myself she wasn't going to be back till this evening. I would, of course, have preferred that she had come back earlier, but I knew she wouldn't only be gone for a day.

If asked to explain my reasoning, I probably wouldn't have been able to. I only had the idea that she thought she would be able to make it to the hamlet and back in a day. Seeing as she was a little human, she probably would be welcomed by the people there. Assuming they were good people, which I guess was a questionable assumption. Still, I would think that the absolute latest she would be back was tonight. It was kind of an upper bound.

Now, if she wasn't here by then…then I would have to assume she was in trouble. And that would require me to go help her. Somehow. Just the thought of that made my brushes quiver. I wasn't even sure if I could do it without Beatrice to carry me down the stairs. If the human woman had stayed, then perhaps she could have assisted me.

But if things came to that, I would have to find a way. I hadn't yet experimented with traversing stairs, but now that I had a way to repair myself… Well, I wasn't exactly eager to test that. And it definitely wasn't because I didn't want to go outside. Still, I resolved that if I needed to protect Beatrice, I might have to subject myself to the unthinkable.

Eventually, I finished cleaning all the bedrooms. Moving across the castle to the other wing, I decided to start with the kitchen. It wasn't the first room in that wing, but it seemed to be one of the most important ones to Beatrice. As sad as I was to admit it, I realized she didn't share my love of the beautiful rug. And after learning more about the fantastic obsidian-floored room, it started to lose its luster. Sure, it was as fantabulous as ever, but it made me worry about the danger Beatrice said was coming. I felt a kind of ominous feeling of foreboding whenever I went in there now.

So it only seemed natural to prioritize the kitchen. Besides, food was one of the main reasons she'd left, and I didn't want her to leave again any sooner than she absolutely had to. As I cleaned, I watched the cat sit on the counter dangerously close to a glass cup Beatrice had left there. I kept eyeing it but this time, never once did I catch it touching it with this paw. I couldn't let up my vigilance, though, and I kept my Spray Bottle ready to act fast.

Harold stood off the side, awaiting his turn. He tried in vain to still his fingers as they fidgeted with one of his rings. This was the second time he had to talk to the king this month. This time, the news wasn't so urgent that he needed to request a special meeting. However, it would still be only the king and his closest advisors. It would be the first of the confidential updates of the day. The last of the merely private updates was going on right now.

Harold listened in with mild interest. It was a report on military readiness. There was a planned war with the neighboring country of Barleona. This happened occasionally. One country would find some minor reason, be it a slight or border dispute, and declare a challenge to the other. For the most part, he believed these were more like training exercises, as casualties were usually extremely low. However, this one felt a little different. The forces gathered were much more significant, and there was no dedicated battlefield.

Harold, the king, and his advisors listened to a colonel's reports on supplies. Apparently, they were in good shape and would be ready to march soon. They had to be careful, though. They would need to leave soon, or else they would risk getting caught out in winter. Barleona was to their south, so winter there would be much less harsh, but apparently, the military was more concerned about leaving a place to retreat to in case things went bad.

In case things stretched on too long, they were still doing their best to prepare for an extended occupation. Harold was slightly surprised to discover that his country would be the aggressor. It seemed that the general consensus was that if they needed to stay through winter, the invasion was going well enough that they wouldn't be in any danger of being pushed back into their home country.

This was actually quite surprising to Harold. Normally relations between the countries were tense, but he always had figured that Barleona would be the aggressor if things went sour. Perhaps he was buying into the king's own propaganda too much. However, he was no military man. But he did know that the country's military might be required closer to home sooner than they might suspect.

As the military advisors went on about horses and feed and wagons. Harold mentally rehearsed his report to the king. He had been contacted by one of the college members he left behind in Greg. Apparently, the scouting party had sent a member back ahead with initial reports. The news was not good.

It seemed that the scouting party had encountered the demon when they first tried to reach the castle walls. They confirmed that it was hostile. This was no question in Harold's mind, but it was something the king had asked, so he was lucky to get confirmation of that. Apparently, it had possessed a girl and then unleashed some sort of beast upon the adventuring party. After they had slain it and approached the girl, its summoner had come after them themselves. It seemed that it hadn't been trying very hard to harm them but was rather more concerned with protecting its vessel.

One member had come back to report this, while the other two had made a second attempt to infiltrate the castle and glean additional information. Unfortunately, the scouts hadn't been warned about the Lieutenant. Harold hoped that maybe there would be some hints of its situation in a follow-up report, but he had low expectations for actually receiving one.

When he had heard about some of the details of the reports, things didn't quite make sense. These were powers that he had not known demons to have. Summoning giant rats? Eh, that was possible. Summoning a tornado of wind and terrified demons as well? Now, that was definitely not a power that Harold had ever heard about before. And he was pretty sure he had heard of all of the demonic powers. But then again, this was a possibly unclassified demon.

So if they had entered the castle again, the other scouts were likely toast. Still, this new news gave him some hope. If the summoned beast was able to be defeated by three low-level adventures, the demon likely couldn't be so insurmountable of a power. Perhaps it just had a special ability allowing it to break barriers faster than others at its level. Still, even a top-tier archdemon could usually be taken down by a significant number of military personnel.

It possibly being weaker than expected didn't really ease Harold's mind at all. The real danger didn't come from this demon directly. Well, real life-threatening danger did, but not the true danger to the kingdom. Unless it was at the level of Nazareth'gak, it was likely a servant demon sent to release the imprisoned Lieutenant. That would explain the barrier-breaking abilities. Harold hoped in his heart that this was the case, since it meant having only one being of extreme might to worry about. Still, after having time to reflect and listening to the Warden's opinion, Harold realized his error. He deeply regretted sounding the retreat so quickly and many other things. Even if the mages had been unable to win, they should have stayed and fought till the last man for the safety of the kingdom.

Of course, that wasn't a reasonable expectation for them. None of them were real fighters, and not even all of them knew about the Lieutenant. Besides, it was only with secondary information that they could even get any sort of estimation of the power of this demon. Logically he thought his actions were relatively understandable at the time, but it didn't mean he couldn't regret them.

Eventually, it was his turn to report to the king's advisors. Everyone was ushered out, and the doors were closed. Harold made a quick ritual circle around the table, sprinkling some powder from a bag he had prepared earlier. A slight buzzing filled the air as his magic clicked into place. Now no one would be able to hear them. He only hoped that they would see the possible danger of letting this demon stay unchecked from the report's information alone. He'd have to play up the danger a little bit, to hide the truth about the Lieutenant. The Warden still wanted to hold that secret as close to the chest as possible.

CHAPTER 62

ACCEPTABLE DEVIATIONS

Bee went to bed exhausted. It had been a long argument, but in the end, she was pretty sure that she had won. At least she had gotten them to keep the purse of coins, as stubborn as they were about returning it. But despite the supposed victory, she was still on edge about it. Bee made a mental note to check her bag in the morning. She wouldn't put it past Mary to try to sneak it back in when she wasn't looking.

Amazingly, she had a room all to herself. It was rather cramped, but it had a bed and enough space for her pack. There were a few toys that belonged to the room's rightful owner as well. Bee would have protested their eviction, but by the time she knew about it, the arrangements had already been made. One of the youngest boys was instead staying with his older brothers across the hall for the night.

When Bee had asked, Tony assured her that this wasn't uncommon. They didn't have guests very frequently, and when they did, it was customary that they would get ousted. It was the price the kids paid for having their own room in such a full house. Still, she kind of felt bad. Bee had never had to share a room before. It was one of the mercies of the castle. Even if she was pretty much treated as a maid, she'd at least had her own room. Before going to the castle, too, she had always had a space entirely to herself in the house, staying with her father.

Gratefully settling down in the bed, she was asleep before she knew it. As she slipped into dreams, a part of her mind registered how comfortable this bed was compared to the library floor.

Waking up the next morning was interesting, to say the least. Because of her higher level, Bee didn't need as much sleep as a normal person would. Still, getting a full six hours in a good bed was pleasant. So it was no surprise to her when she rose with the sun. What was a surprise was that she was far from the first person up. Stumbling out of her room, she was practically pulled along by the smell of fresh bacon.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Mary welcomed her. Looking around, the children were gathered around the table, already digging into breakfast. Not everyone seemed to be up just yet, but most were. Mary flipped the bacon. "Tony and Trent are out in the fields trying to get something done quick before breakfast. They should be back soon."

Well, never mind. Maybe the Farmer class offered skills related to sleep? Bee stretched and stepped into the room. "Is there something I can help with?"

"No, dear," Mary said as she indicated for Bee to sit down. Taking a look at the wooden plate in front of her, Bee understood what Maranda meant by "eating fancy" last night. She guessed it would be harder to break wood plates compared to ceramic, but they couldn't be easy to clean.

Bee sat with the children and nodded a morning to Maranda, who seemed to have far too much energy for this early in the morning. Still, Bee accepted gratefully as Maranda passed her the salt. Loading up on bacon, eggs, and toast, she dug in. It wasn't too long before she was on her second plate.

The front door opened with a loud clatter. Bee looked around, nearly grabbing for her broom until she recognized Trent. He shrugged off the dirty look his wife threw him for the noise and, in a few steps, was pulling Bee out of her chair.

Shocked, she stood still as he wrapped her up in a bear hug. Trent laughingly released her before any ribs cracked. "I haven't had this good of a morning in a decade! You work miracles, little lady!"

Still standing there, she glanced at Tony, standing in the doorway behind his father. He was grinning at her too. Mildly confused at the bigger man's sudden mood shift, Bee was still frozen in place. Chuckling, Trent clapped her on the back before pulling out a chair and loading up a plate for himself.

"Honestly, I was barely able to keep up with him today," Tony chimed in as he joined them. "Whatever you did really worked."

Tony moved a bit slower than his old man but soon began to eat with gusto as well. As he ate, Trent spoke up. "We've prepared most of what we agreed on last night, ready for your trip back to the castle. However, we have thought about one more thing. Considering our second discussion last night, we're pretty sure you will not take the coins back. As hard as that is for us to accept, we can manage. But we still need some way to repay you."

Bee made to protest, but Tony cut in, preventing her from voicing her concern. "You can't expect us to just stay in your debt like this. Besides, I think we can offer you something valuable that shouldn't cost us too much either."

Bee wasn't looking at her, but she was pretty sure that she heard Mary give a bit of a sniff. Trent took up the explanation. "With me in better health, this one has pretty much become useless around here."

As he spoke, he reached out to cuff his oldest son's head. Tony shot his father a look and spoke. "Still, you also mentioned to me that you were alone in the castle. So we figured that it wouldn't hurt for me to come along back with you. I can help you with the animals and the gardens. At least until someone comes back for you."

"Besides," Mary cut in, "someone your age shouldn't be all alone in a castle, dear. It's not healthy or safe. As much as I want Tony to stay, he would be more helpful in the castle."

Bee tried to argue. Not that she really minded Tony coming along or anything. But he didn't need to be wrapped up in the whole Void business. She was sure that Void wouldn't harm him, but if more people like the adventures came around, he might get mixed up in the problems they brought. That wasn't even counting all the demons running around, either. It was pretty dangerous, and with Tony's low level, she doubted that things would turn out well.

Still, Bee wasn't willing to explain this all to them. If she tried, she was pretty sure they would insist that she just stay with them or, even worse, send Trent as well. And that was how she found herself standing with Tony at the edge of the field, saying their goodbyes to the chaotic family. They had overwhelmed her, and even the kids started piling on them both. They kept going on about how she'd be better off with him around or celebrating that they wouldn't have to deal with him. She kept thinking that he would get offended based on how much they hammered that one home, but Tony took it all with a light smile.

Mary seemed most concerned with Bee staying alone and several times just tried to get her to stay with them outright. Eventually, they compromised, with Tony promising to stick around with her until people started to return to the castle. It wasn't a very good compromise, in Bee's opinion. But it sure felt like a compromise when they were done with her. She was pretty sure that even her father would have a hard time negotiating anything better at that breakfast table. Or maybe her father had grown up like this too, and that was where he got all his skills.

Eventually, after many rounds of farewells and Mary checking that they had remembered to pack everything, Bee and her new companion set off for the castle. As the cottage shrank in the distance, Tony strode next to her, looking quite pleased with himself. He was smart enough to keep his mouth shut, though. Bee didn't think she was normally a sore loser, but she didn't like being backed into a corner like this. Even if the corner was only enforced by politeness and social convention. After they were a few minutes down the path away from the farm, he finally spoke.

"Thank you for allowing me to come. I bet it felt like you might not have had much choice, but I still appreciate it. It was about time for me to spend some time on my own. I don't get nearly as much experience tending my father's fields as I will recovering abandoned ones."

Bee shot him a look, but the earnest look on his face made her anger melt away slightly. She sighed inwardly. Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Still, I should warn him about what he's getting into. "What is your level?"

Tony looked a little taken aback, but she spoke quickly before he could protest her rude question. "Well, see, the castle is a bit more dangerous now than it usually is. I want to know how much protection you will need."

Tony gave her an incredulous look. "No offense, Bee, but you're a child. Maybe you're almost a teenager, but I don't think I am going to need as much protection as you."

"I'm thirteen." Bee crossed her arms and tried not to pout. Left unsaid was the implication that he would be protecting her. "I'm already a teenager. Besides, I have more experience than most adults." After a moment of silence, Bee sighed. "Fine, I'll go first. I'm level 18. What about you?"

Tony held back a chuckle. "Sorry, what? You don't look like you're thirty. Even if you say you're a teenager, teens don't get to level 18."

Bee clenched her fists and exhaled. She wanted to reveal that she knew his level and was just asking him to be polite. However, she didn't want to give away that she had Scan. That would make her an oddity, and as much as she liked Tony and his family, she didn't trust them that much yet. So instead of throwing his level in his face, she reached over and grabbed a three-inch-thick branch from one of the nearby trees. With one hand, she ripped it free. Tossing the large limb off to the side with a crash, she looked expectantly at Tony's disbelieving face.

They kept walking for another fifteen seconds before his expression faded into a more somber grimace. "Well, that was unexpected. I suppose I may have gotten in a bit over my head, huh?"

I sat at the top of the stairs waiting for Beatrice's return. The door was shut, but it didn't impede my Advanced Sensors very much. I couldn't see too far out the door, but it was enough for me. I imagined Beatrice would be arriving soon. The sun had barely passed noon, but I was watching it descend ever so slowly through the window. I was starting to get a little nervous.

I had been waiting for a couple of hours now. When I'd started my vigil, my cat companion sat with me for quite some time. It had been basking in the sunny spot shining at the top of the stairs. As we waited, it continued to inch closer and closer. Eventually it had reached out to me with a paw, but never quite worked up enough courage to touch my chassis.

Lying next to me apparently was too boring for it, though. Eventually, it got up, huffed at me, and then padded away to go to something else. I tracked it for a little bit, but it didn't go near the kitchen, so I figured I'd let it be. I'd only had to spray it once more today after the whole mantle incident, and after that, it seemed to get the message. I hoped I wouldn't find any broken glass or anything the next time I made my rounds.

It was clear that my cleaning efficiency had undergone a transformation, unlike anything I had experienced before. Not only was I way more efficient and quick, but my skills were now so different that I had to completely change my strategy. My pathing plans were completely useless to me now. And honestly, planning out a path was not nearly as important as it used to be. I could pretty much just go inside a room, look at all the corners, trust my sensors, and on the fly, I could clean the whole area way faster than before.

Even my Sanitation Lamp was significantly more powerful. I used to have to hold the light at a particular spot for a while, slowly moving it around to eliminate all the small germs. Now I could scan it over the ground almost as fast as I could move. Though I had not even tried to clean at maximum speed. Part of it was because I didn't want to risk damaging anything while I was still getting used to my new strength. The other part was that I didn't need to. It had only been a handful of hours since I finished off the last earth demon and had already thoroughly cleaned every room that I had access to.

That was why I was here waiting for Beatrice to return. There was no point in cleaning everything again this soon. Maybe tomorrow I would do it. It'd be nice to get every room back on a daily schedule. But I supposed it would be better to discover all the other rooms first. It would be nice if Beatrice came back soon so she could bring me up the stairs.

Only a few hours later, as the sun was beginning to set, I sensed Beatrice's return. However, to my disbelief, she was not alone.

CHAPTER 63

HOME SWEET HOME

As they made their way to the castle, Bee formulated a plan to explain the situation to Tony. He had gotten quiet after seeing the smaller girl's little demonstration. Quiet enough that they just walked along in silence for the next ten minutes or so. Eventually, he seemed to have processed his thoughts. "So what have I gotten myself into, exactly?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I know why all of the other inhabitants of the castle ran away. And it wasn't because they were called somewhere else." Bee was struggling with how she was going to explain this part to Tony without him freaking out. She was sure that there was no real danger. But it was going to be hard to explain. And now that she had the possibility of help and company, she didn't want to give that up just yet.

"See, the mages were attempting some sort of big summoning ritual. And I wasn't really invited but I was still listening around the corner. Anyway, I don't think the ritual went exactly how they were expecting. Because at some point, they caused a lot of noise, and I could hear them screaming something. I couldn't quite make out the words. Then I heard them running. At that point, I fell down some stairs." Bee was starting to worry that she was rambling a little bit. Also, the story wasn't making her look good.

"I hurt my leg, and I wasn't able to follow everyone, so I hid in the closet for a little bit." Yeah, this wasn't going very well, she thought.

"And when I was better, there wasn't anyone left in the castle," Bee finished lamely. She didn't look at Tony for a few minutes. This explanation made her sound pathetic and weak. She'd gotten defeated by stairs and then just stayed behind, forgotten at the castle. It made her feel so useless. Tony was probably laughing at her right now. No wonder why they insisted that he come with her. She knew that wasn't the entire story, but the rest of it didn't make her sound much better, and she also would have to admit that she wasn't really alone in the castle. If she told him about Void, he might be too scared to continue.

Eventually, she risked a glance at Tony. Instead of the suppressed grin she expected to see on his face, he looked quite concerned. It was good that she hadn't told him anything about Void, then, Bee thought. He would only have been more concerned then. She waited for him to collect his thoughts.

Eventually, he spoke up. "So they all ran away and then didn't realize they left you behind?"

Bee kicked a rock and looked down at her feet as she muttered, "Pretty much, yeah."

"That was…incredibly irresponsible of them. I can't believe they would leave a little gi—a member of their college behind like that. Did they not do a head count or send someone to check or anything?" Tony sounded indignant and almost incredulous. Eventually, he took a long, slow breath. "That's horrible. I'm really sorry that happened to you."

Bee couldn't decide if that was better or worse than she had expected. On the one hand, he wasn't laughing at her. On the other hand, it felt like pity she didn't really deserve. Sure, the first few days had been rough, but honestly, she was happy with how things had turned out. If given the choice, there was no way she would trade her experience and levels for a chance to have left with the mages back then. She had learned actual magic. Also, she had leveled far beyond what was reasonable for anyone her age. She didn't have complete control over her own soul or destiny anymore, but it was really a small price to pay for power. Also, she felt like it was in good hands.

"Well, it didn't turn out so bad." Bee wasn't sure why she was so hesitant to share the details. She would at least need to tell him something about Void. He would find that out pretty soon anyway. "I got plenty of levels and made a friend."

Tony seemed confused. "A friend? I thought the mages left you alone in the castle?"

Bee felt like it was overly familiar to call her master her friend. Still, she had to admit it would be a little weird for her to tell Tony about Void before they met. It was pretty hard to believe that Void was all-powerful but still benevolent. So she stuck with the term "friend" for now, at least until he witnessed Void's true power. Still, it was good to introduce the idea sooner rather than later. Maybe? She still wasn't sure. Who was she kidding? She didn't know what she was doing.

"Yeah, the mages left me. My friend isn't a mage. It's…not really human." Okay, this explanation didn't seem to be helping matters. If anything, Tony was only looking more and more concerned.

"Wait, so your friend isn't human, but you're alone in the castle?" Tony started giving her the side-eye. Bee was beginning to worry that he thought she was crazy. Really, this explanation was harder to give than she'd thought. It would have been best to just wait until they reached the castle to try and explain it. "How long have you been alone? When did the mages leave?"

"Oh, it must have been over a month ago." Bee tried to count the days back. Almost a week before meeting Void. More time cleaning and fighting demons. The adventurers came, then there were the catacombs. Then the earth demon infestation. "A month or two, maybe."

Tony stayed quiet. Thinking back on how much time had passed reminded Bee of all the ticking time bombs in the castle. Soon many of the containment circles would start failing, even the intact ones that Void hadn't disrupted. She hadn't even managed to go upstairs to check on all of them. Not to mention the fact that the Lieutenant now probably only had a month or two before it too would wake up. She really needed to check on that too. All the thoughts of things she needed to take care of started to make her feel a bit concerned. She was actually grateful for Tony speaking up and breaking her out of her musings.

"I'm sorry. I look forward to meeting your friend," Tony said. When Bee looked over at him, he was giving her a pitying look. Inwardly Bee groaned. Tony definitely thought that she was crazy. It didn't matter. Bee figured he would see what was really happening when they got to the castle.

"So, I think I mentioned a little about the gardens and animals at the castle?" Bee said in an attempt to change the subject.

Tony's face displayed a little reluctance to leave the last topic hanging, but eventually, he softened a little. "You did. I think you mentioned something about chickens. How many do you have?"

Bee missed a step. "You know, I don't think I actually counted…"

When they reached the turn-off to the road, it was well past midday. Tony was still questioning Bee about the castle farms. She was just glad they had moved past the whole level discussion. He had never actually told her his level. It didn't matter; Tony would soon see what was going on. Despite her attempts to warn him, he still seemed set on helping out. "So the carrots, what shade of orange did you say the one you pulled out early was?"

Really, Bee wasn't sure why he was so fixated on this. They would be there in less than half an hour, and he could find out for himself. Tony just seemed to really enjoy farming. At least a lot more than she did. If it was anyone else, this conversation would have put her to sleep hours ago. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to explain the shade of orange for what must have been the umpteenth time.

It wasn't long before the castle came into view. Taking a quick look at it, there seemed to be no obvious changes to the exterior. It seemed like there had been no disturbances. Bee was quite relieved, as she'd half expected to come back to a destroyed castle. But that fear was mostly unfounded, she knew; her master wouldn't allow that to happen. No matter how many demons were roaming around.

As they approached the looming structure, Tony stopped asking her questions about farming. When she'd had a few minutes of silence to herself, she looked up at him questioningly. Noticing her, Tony snapped his slightly agape mouth shut before. When he spoke, his voice was filled with wonder. "I've never actually seen the castle before. It's way larger than I thought it would be. Way larger than any buildings in Greg, too."

Bee understood the reaction. The castle really was an impressive sight. There were tall spires and towering walls; plus, its footprint was massive. Looking up at some of the towers, she realized that she likely hadn't explored most of the castle. She wasn't even sure if the mages' college used the entire space. Once they had finished with the current demonic threat, she hoped that her master would want to explore the rest of the castle. She figured it would be likely, seeing that it really did seem to want to clean everything. She just hoped it wouldn't insist on cleaning the catacombs before they explored the other floors.

Besides, if there were any other demons stored in the castle on other floors, they might be getting loose soon. It would probably be best to take care of them now before that happened. She had been doing some research on that, and she was pretty sure she could redraw some containment circles now.

Tony's statement just kind of hung there as they entered the front gate of the castle walls. It didn't feel like anything else needed to be said. The castle spoke for itself. The two of them followed the long path up to the building, climbed the steps, and crossed the little plateau before they finally reached the main doors. By that point, Tony seemed to have recovered most of himself.

In what was probably an attempt to be a gentleman, Tony darted ahead of Bee to open one of the main doors. He pulled at the handle and tugged. Then tugged again. Then tugged even harder, until he was pulling with both hands and his full strength. The door barely budged. After trying the same thing with the other handle, Tony stepped back and peered at Beatrice. "Did you happen to lock the doors before you left?"

She smiled slightly. "No. There's no keyhole either."

Tony scratched his head and sighed. "Well, I think someone barred the doors, then. I don't see signs of anyone else around, though. Maybe someone else was in the castle after all? I could see two people being in here without even realizing the other existed. Or maybe it was your friend?"

Bee chuckled slightly at the mental image of Void barring the doors. "No, I don't think that my friend barred the doors."

She motioned for Tony to move aside and grasped the right door. She braced a foot on the left door and pulled with all her might. Opening the door from the inside was much easier than this. Normally she would have avoided closing it completely, but with her leaving for this long, it hadn't seemed like a very smart idea.

Slowly the door ground open, groaning. Once it was cracked, Tony reached out and helped her haul it the rest of the way.

I watched as the door slowly opened. The other human was helping Beatrice out. That was a good sign. When Beatrice came around the corner, I popped out my arm and waved to her, beeping excitedly. She gave me a wave back as her face broke into a grin. It was good to see her again. Behind her followed a larger human.

My initial good impression of him helping Beatrice open the door was quickly undone. I looked at his clothes, and they were filthy. Many of the creases were filled with more dirt than even the outside humans had managed to accumulate. Even worse, both his boots and the pant cuffs that hung over them were caked with mud. His hands were clean, but I could see some dirt on his elbow and above his left eyebrow.

How does one even get so dirty? It was like he had been rolling around in the mud all morning. And how was Beatrice going to let this guy inside? He would track dirt everywhere!

As I sat there in shock, the human seemed to realize something. He looked at the sparkling floors ahead of him, then at his boots, and took a step back outside. He took a moment, kicking his boots against each other and knocking some amount of the dirt off. Okay, that was nice of him. Well, I supposed that was progress, and it did raise my estimation of him a bit. Still, this was just one more human I had to educate about the wonders of cleanliness.

While the large human was doing that. Beatrice gave me a bow. "It's good to be home, Master."

CHAPTER 64

COOPED UP

Bee greeted her master. She found that she had honestly missed Void during the brief time that she had been gone. Tony followed her inside a second later. Glancing at him, she supposed it was time for introductions. "Tony, this is Void. The other one staying here in the castle with me. Void, this is Tony."

Tony looked up to the top of the stairs and saw Void waving its claw and beeping excitedly. He responded by staring in utter bewilderment. Uncertainly, he looked back down at Bee. She just nodded at him.

"Well, erm, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Void," Tony said as he started up the stairs. Void gave him a welcoming beep. Bee let out a breath she hadn't realized that she had been holding. There was some subconscious part of her that had feared Void's reaction to another human. Well, “feared” wasn't the right word. Maybe it was better to say she was apprehensive? Anyway, she wasn't sure how well it would take a new person coming back with her.

When Tony reached the top of the stairs, he reached down and gave Void a gentle pat, like one would pat a dog's head. Bee froze. All of that apprehension and fear came thundering back. She should have warned Tony. She knew it. But the damage was already done. She waited for her master to strike him down for such impudence and familiarity.

But Void didn't seem to have any inclination toward violence. In fact, it beeped quite happily.

Straightening up, Tony shrugged his pack up his shoulders slightly. "Where can we unload? I'd best get to work and take a look at the animals, I suppose."

Bee thought for a second. "I'm not sure. The kitchen was in a bit of disarray when I left."

Before she could finish the thought, Void beeped and took off down the hall. It raced toward the intersection of corridors. Then it rotated slightly, looking back at them before beeping impatiently. Bee met Tony's eyes and shrugged. He still just looked confused, but as she started after Void, he followed along.

Void led them toward the kitchen. On the way, she began to notice the surprising lack of dirt and debris along their path. The castle floors looked just as clean as they had before the catacombs trip. Void must have been busy. With that in mind, she figured that it must have straightened the kitchen out while they were away. That was very thoughtful of her master. She bet that it had many other important things it could have been doing, but that it had prioritized her food was quite touching.

Sure enough, her master led them right to the kitchen. When they made it, Bee took in the sight. The kitchen wasn't perfect. There were still some things broken, such as cabinet doors and barrels, of course, but there was no longer debris everywhere. And what was there was spotless. Even the debris on the counter had been removed or organized, for the most part. She wasn't even sure how Void had managed that, as she had never seen it leave the floor before.

Void led them back toward the pantry. Using its claw, it indicated they could put many of their stores in there. Tony dropped his pack gratefully, and Bee followed suit. They began unloading the supplies. They had brought back nothing fancy, but had prioritized things that would last a long time and get them by until they could harvest the gardens from the castle grounds.

"I hope your chickens are alright. I would love to put an egg on some of this rice," Tony said while hoisting a bag to an upper shelf.

Bee handed him another sack to put up there as well before she responded. "We should check that out tonight. I cleared all the eggs the day before yesterday because I didn't know which ones were good. I hope that means all the ones we get today will be okay to eat."

"Fresh eggs do last a while. You just have to rinse them before you eat them. Once you rinse them, you need to use them right away, or you might get sick," Tony said absently. Almost as if he was repeating a lecture from somewhere. Looking down at Bee, he continued. "At least, that's what my mom always says. I've never got sick from eggs before, so maybe she is on to something."

After a few more minutes of unpacking, the pantry looked much more healthy than before. The pair's packs were also considerably lighter. Bee stood, stretching. "Let's drop our stuff in the library, then I can show you around."

As they walked to the library, Tony asked, "Why are we leaving our stuff in the library?"

Bee stuttered and missed a step. "Uhh, it’s kinda where I've set up my home base. It's complicated. Besides, Void likes it."

Even to her ears, that didn't make too much sense. Why was she sleeping in the library anyway? At first, it was for safety. She guessed it was probably still safer than most other rooms. Also, it was closer to the books.

"Also, it's safer," Bee added. For some reason, the demons had never made it into the library. That was true about a lot of the rooms, she supposed. It was a good thing that the lesser demons had started out too dumb to open doors, and before they'd figured that out, Void had killed them all.

Tony didn't ask any questions, but looking up at his face, Bee read concern in his eyes. When they made it to the library, she dropped her now much lighter pack by her blanket and pillow. Tony just stood at the door, taking in the odd state of the library. There was a broken bookshelf next to the entryway, along with many stacks of books, exactly fourteen books tall, lined along the wall. Her alchemy table stood out from the rest from the tomes scattered across it.

"Feel free to take any of the tables. Besides that one or this one," Bee said, gesturing to her alchemy table and the one she was next to. Tony just sighed. Seemingly deciding to just go with it, he walked to a table a few down from her and set his pack down. Deciding to unpack later, she and Tony headed out right away to take advantage of the remaining daylight.

She decided that she would show him the chicken coop first. Doing that seemed to be the most important. If they still had light afterward, she would take them to check out the crops. She also would have to ask Tony to help her distinguish what crops were for food and which ones were for magical reagents. They could probably prioritize the magical reagents now, though, because they didn't have an entire castle to feed.

As they made their way toward the exit, she looked at Void in case it wanted to come with them. It stayed close to Bee as they neared the entry stairs, nudging her foot slightly. Having company really wasn't much of an issue, so she bent down and reverently picked her master up, holding it with both hands in front of her. It was nice that she'd have Tony to help her with free hands this time. Now she wouldn't have to worry about balancing her master on a single hand. It really was quite nerve-wracking, worrying about dropping Void constantly.

They made their way down to the chicken coop.

I was grateful to get a ride down the stairs. Beatrice had just come back, and I wasn't ready to leave her alone just yet. Especially in the company of a human I didn't trust. To be fair, she had spent a lot of time with him, and nothing bad had happened yet. But still, I didn't feel like I could be too careful.

I had to say that Tony had gone a long way toward changing my first impression of him. Cleaning off his boots before coming into the castle was appreciated, if the bare minimum. But those head pats were top-tier. Truly, I had missed them, but I hadn't quite realized how much. It made me devote far more processing time toward incorporating his presence into our current routines than I would have otherwise. But still, he was quite a dirty individual from the outside. For now, he was on a probationary period where I would monitor him closely to make sure he didn't misbehave.

But I had to see if I could get more head pats from him. Beatrice didn't seem inclined to give me many, but perhaps she could learn from a good example. That would be the most optimal outcome here.

We made our way to the coop. I still heard the same cacophony of animal noises as when we first approached it. Now that I knew it was coming, I was paying attention to my sensors and could see the disgusting stuff floating in the air around it.

The clucking sounds were even louder than last time, if that was possible. When Tony opened the door for us, I confirmed that it was just as bad inside as it was when I was last here. If not worse.

Taking one look at the angry birds, Tony exclaimed, "Wow, these are really on their last legs! Where's the feed? We won't get fresh eggs until all these ladies are fattened up."

Beatrice indicated the same bag she had spilled last time we were here. Tony went to that cupboard and opened it up. Grasping one of the bags, he ripped it open and tossed it on the ground. That clearly wasn't an accident. Perhaps he was training the birds? But that was a question mark that could go in as an X on his record. Intentionally making messes was much different than accidentally spilling bags of grain.

The birds didn't seem to mind nearly as much as I would have. They scrambled around, pecking it up with surprising efficiency. Beatrice didn't complain either. I didn't have much faith in her concept of cleanliness, but I suppose she would have objected if something was really wrong. Perhaps Tony really was training the birds? I would stay silent and follow Beatrice's lead for now.

After spilling the seed, Tony seemed to turn slightly red and then whirled at Beatrice, pointing at her and then pointing at the cabinet. "If there's this much feed, why are they this thin? The area around here has been picked clean! Have you not fed them in a month?"

Okay, this was way out of line. No one got to yell at my human like that. I let out an angry beep, waving my Grabby Arm threateningly at Tony. He'd better not try anything. If he did, he'd regret it. In fact, he was lucky Beatrice was holding me. If he tried anything, I would still sic one of the last demons in my dustbin on him. Or maybe do the tornado thing that scared off the last humans. Still, Beatrice was too close to risk that. I also didn't want her to put me down here. That would be gross. But maybe when we got back to the castle.

My outburst seemed to cut Beatrice off from responding. It also seemed to shock Tony enough that he stopped and visibly took a breath to calm down. Beatrice was the first to speak. "I didn't have a chance to get out of the castle until recently. Also, I didn't know it was here, exactly, until the day before I went to the farm."

Tony was still watching me warily but seemed to take in Beatrice's words. "Okay, there are a few things that are rubbing me wrong here. I noticed there was a decent amount of damage in the kitchen. Did that have something to do with you not being able to leave the castle until recently?"

Tony stared levelly at Beatrice. She took a deep breath as if she was preparing to give a long-winded answer, but just nodded. "I think that I'm going to have to tell you the whole story. It's a long one. We don't have to do it here, though. It still smells like chicken poop."

Beatrice carried me back up to the castle as Tony followed. It was a weighty silence. There were definitely things we all needed to talk about and get clear. I would have to make sure that Tony never mistreated Beatrice again. It seemed that he had said those things because he was being protective of the birds, but that was still not acceptable.

Beatrice put me down when we reached the top of the stairs. I rolled over to Tony, extended my Grabby Arm toward his face, and wiggled it back and forth. I had seen my other humans do this sometimes to chastise the small human. He looked down at me, confused, so I smacked him in the shin with my arm. Yelping, he jumped back and glared at me reproachfully. "What was that for?"

He knew. I gave him an angry-sounding beep and then proceeded to explain to him in explicit detail his failures and errors. He seemed very confused, but Beatrice seemed to pick up the gist of what I was saying. She translated for me. "I don't think it liked you yelling. I would try to not do that in the future if I were you."

"Aww, that's cute." Tony grinned, still wincing.

CHAPTER 65

COMING CLEAN

Bee was horrified. First Tony gave Void pats like a dog, then he called it cute? He didn't seem to notice her expression, though, as he was too transfixed with Void. Tony leaned down close to examine Void more closely. He reached out like he was about to cradle an adorable kitten. Bee began backing up to give them some space. She didn't want to be any more involved in this than she absolutely had to.

Bee feared an eruption like the last time Void had seemed angry. She still remembered the twister of terrified demons swirling around her master as it advanced on the humans. Being anywhere near that didn't seem like a good idea.

However, it seemed that her fears were unfounded. Void made no such display or power move. It simply reached out with its claw and batted aside the reaching hands. Tony recoiled, clutching his fingers with a sharp yelp. "Ow! that hurt!"

Bee wasn't surprised. She had been smacked in the knuckles with a ruler many times in her short life, and that would always sting. She couldn't imagine what being hit with a thin metal stick would feel like, not when wielded by someone with Void's power. Tony pointed at Void and made it as if to scold a puppy for nipping. That's not going to end well, Bee thought.

In an attempt to avoid disaster, she finally stepped in. "I think it would be a good idea to avoid antagonizing it. It clearly does not want to be picked up. Also, it is way stronger than you. Let's just get back to the library, and I can finish explaining."

Tony had given Void a wide berth the rest of the way back. That rebuke must have hurt even more than she realized. Sitting across from her at the table and library, she could see red welts already forming where Void’s claw had struck.

Still, she would probably let it heal naturally. Better for him to learn the lesson of not messing with Void this way than some other way. Sighing, Bee steeled herself for the conversation ahead. "So let me explain from the beginning what happened. The mages had some big summoning ritual planned for the day that everything went wrong. It didn't go right, obviously. This led to all the mages running away; however, the mages were running away from something. And that something is…"

Bee continued telling her story with more information than before. About hiding in a broom closet for days and hobbling around on a stick, running from lesser demons and learning basic alchemy, being attacked, and meeting Void. Though she left out a good amount of details from the last part. Tony let her talk uninterrupted, though she could tell he hadn't really gotten over the first point. The increasing looks of disbelief weren't helping her stay focused. When she started explaining the decision to enter the catacombs, he finally broke in.

"So you're telling me that this little guy just pointed you to the catacombs, and you just followed him. Why would you do that? Catacombs don't seem safe to explore, and you had just finished making the castle safe." Tony started with pretty reasonable objections. But Bee realized she forgot to tell him about the adventurers. Though that was probably for the best right now.

She had also left out the whole "swearing her soul to Void" thing for a couple reasons, but primarily because it was kind of embarrassing. Tony had never seen her master in its full battle glory. So the idea of swearing her soul to what appeared to be a cute, friendly, almost pet-like thing would seem rather ridiculous. Of course, she also didn't want to make Tony assume that she was a demon cultist or anything. She supposed she was. Well, maybe not a demon cultist, but some sort of cultist. But that was beside the point.

"Yeah, well, Void kind of makes the decisions. Void is way stronger than either of us and is the only reason I survived the lesser demons, let alone everything else," Bee said. Even to her, that explanation seemed kind of weak.

"He's also the only reason that you're in the situation, to begin with. The mages ran away from him, right? That's why they left? You don't find that a little bit suspicious? He's probably dangerous." Tony was starting to get a little worked up. But Bee looked over at Void. She was concerned Tony's voice didn't even come close to being respectful. Also, she had never had to talk about Void to someone else. In her mind, she'd always referred to Void as “it,” but Tony seemed to think it was masculine. She looked over at Void to see if it had any complaints. It didn't really seem to be listening.

Leaving that as it was, as long as Void didn't complain, she wouldn't tell Tony what to call it. "Well, I have some theories about that. I'm pretty sure the mages didn't need to run away."

"Come on, they couldn't be that stupid. They're experts in their craft, after all! They wouldn't just run away from something harmless for no reason," Tony said. That was a good point, Bee thought. With full knowledge of the situation, the mages' decisions did seem kind of silly. She could only imagine that stuffy headmaster Harold's reaction if he knew the truth.

"One thing you probably don't know is that Void is apparently immune to anti-demon magic. So they probably ran away more because of that than any real aggression. Don't get me wrong, though. Void is powerful enough to warrant running away from. I just don't think it has any aggression toward us."

Tony leaned back, taking her words in. He started stroking his chin, and she noticed a few wispy hairs of a beard beginning to grow there. "Okay, assume I buy that. The mages all ran away because of a misunderstanding of intent rather than power. But if this guy is as benevolent as you seem to think, why are you obeying his every command?"

"Well, I'm not. I'm just letting it make the final decisions. We talk about things…" Bee said defensively.

"And you didn't think exploring catacombs was one of those things worth talking about?" Tony asked incredulously.

Looking back at it, Bee realized that, yeah, it didn't make any sense. And she wasn't a good enough liar to come up with an alternative explanation. She might have to give a bit more detail than she really wanted to hear.

I started cleaning the library for the forty-seventh time while Tony and Beatrice discussed things. It seemed like she was mostly explaining what she had been up to. I paid attention, and I had to say it was interesting to hear what Beatrice thought of the events. It was quite a different perspective than I had. Looking back at some of those first interactions with the humans in the chamber, contextualized with what Beatrice was saying, things started to make a lot more sense. I probably could have figured that out earlier, but even now, it made my bristles curl with embarrassment to think about all the things I hadn't understood properly.

I still didn't like thinking about that, but I figured it was time for me to understand what was really going on. Now that I had a real understanding of the circles of white powder, my sudden appearance in them made a lot more sense. It also made a lot more sense why I was here. I still wasn't confident that my humans from back home hadn't sent me, though. Maybe they had just answered the summons from the mages here.

However, it was quite clear that I was not the intended recipient of said summons. Immediately wiping away the supposed restraints for a dangerous entity they had been summoning might have caused some understandable alarm. It was sad, though, that I had scared away the first humans I had met here. It would have been nice to clear things up, and I could have cleaned this castle quite well with more people in it. If anything, that would have been much more useful than keeping it for them while they were gone.

But surely, this misunderstanding wouldn't persist for long. Soon they'd come back, and we'd figure everything out. Beatrice could explain to them what was really going on, and they could come and continue using the castle for…well, whatever they used it for, and I would just stay and clean it until my humans called me back. They might have to do some summoning of their own, but I'm sure they could manage it. They were very clever.

But judging by Tony's reaction, humans didn't seem quite ready to accept this explanation. That was disappointing. As I focused on cleaning the floor, I was dedicating only 50 percent of my attention to the conversation. Beatrice was in the middle of explaining how we met for the second time. Even though this time it seemed a little more detailed, I already knew about this, and hearing the account from her perspective the first time led me to believe I had a fairly good understanding of the encounter. She had realized that I was stronger than her and asked for guidance.

It was still a little bit weird to think of myself as stronger than humans, but I was getting used to that. Of course, I did think she had a bit of an elevated opinion of me. I was doing my best to teach her.

However, before she could really finish the entire story. Tony exploded from his seat. "YOU DID WHAT?!"

This caught my attention, and I rolled closer, leaving behind a little bit of the library unfinished in this pass. However, my forty-sixth pass had left it pretty clean anyway. It could wait until after this was explained. I was still wary of this human; I didn't want to let Beatrice near him while he was angry.

Bee tried to keep her story relatively innocuous, or at least as innocuous as such a tale could be. However, Tony had a knack for asking questions that ferreted more and more details out of her. Little by little, she found herself explaining even the parts of the story she had intentionally left out. She had just finished coming clean about the whole "swearing her soul to what might be a demon" thing when Tony overreacted. She supposed that was a little bit unfair of her, but it really wasn't that big of a deal. Her master was nice.

Tony stood up from his chair and started pacing back and forth, shooting looks at Void. "You realize what this means, right? It doesn't matter if he's a demon or not."

"Yeah, I realize. There's a lot more going on than I've been able to list. I have to say, with everything that I've learned, I can't regret my decision," Bee calmly explained. She still hadn't told him about the Lieutenant or the contents of the catacombs. Especially that bottom level. She figured that Tony had enough to think about for now. Plus, she wanted to get past the difficulties they were having here first. "I even got the class, Devotee. I've leveled way faster than I have any right to expect."

This brought Tony to a halt. "You have a class?"

"I told you I was level 18. Of course I have a class."

"Yeah, I kind of figured you were exaggerating."

"That's why I broke that tree branch—to show you that I had some real levels. And remember the front door?"

"I kind of just figured you maybe had passed level 1 and gotten some sort of strength skill and were trying to impress me or something."

"Nope, I've picked up three skills in my class."

"As a Devotee, you must have some idea what Void stands for, then?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, I have figured out a couple of its values," Bee responded.

"Anything dangerous or interesting?" Tony asked as he slowly sat back down. Bee wasn't sure, but he seemed to be calming down. That was a bit of a relief.

She hesitated. "Well, erm, the most important things to Void seem to be cleanliness…" After a slight pause, she added, "And a hatred of stairs."

Tony stared at her silently for a moment. Then he leaned back in his chair and let out a full laugh that reminded Bee of his father. Then he shot a worried glance at the small black disk that was now sitting at his feet.

CHAPTER 66

CLEARED UP

"You're pulling my leg, right?" Tony chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. "How much of that was actually true? I mean, you almost had me till the whole stairs thing."

Bee ran a hand down her face. She was well aware of how ridiculous her story sounded. And the worst part about it was that Void had devoured all the proof. His cleanliness had made it really hard for her story to be corroborated with any demon or skeleton remains. After all, who would believe a story about a teenager fighting demons alongside a godlike, slightly naive being?

Bee wouldn't, that's for sure. She truly wished she was making this up, but it was all too true. She wasn't exactly sure what she could do or show someone to really get them to believe it all. However, if Tony stuck around long enough, she was sure he'd see what was going on. Even though he wouldn't believe it right now. Still, she was in this deep. She supposed that she might as well keep being honest. Bee mentioned that the demons came from containment circles that had been broken.

"Yeah, you said Void did that as some sort of training exercise, right?" Tony said. She didn't believe that he was buying everything she was selling, but it seemed he was at least willing to humor her.

"So that was only a couple sets of the demons. They are likely more in the castle that I'm not aware of. And there are definitely still some in captivity. For example, the water demons are still in their tanks. The restrictions have almost completely faded, and they're completely awake, but they can't really leave their tanks. So they're less of a threat. But I'm pretty sure that there are other types of demons in the upper parts of the castles and other kinds of magical beasts. They likely all need to be cared for and hopefully can still be useful." Bee did her best to lay out the situation.

"That's not all of them. I wasn't confident enough in my magic understanding to contain the demons myself. Also, because Void released them, I wasn't going to stop them from getting out. Now though, I believe I could reset containment on the other demons. We just need to find them, and I need time to do it. Time that I won't have if I need to focus on caring for the chickens and the crops for food." Bee now told Tony her plans, but there was one thing she was careful to leave out: any mention of Nazareth'gak.

She really wasn't sure how he would react to the news of the Lieutenant. If Tony was having trouble believing what she was saying now, the idea of an ancient evil secretly living within the local castle would make him laugh in her face even harder. However, she felt bad just springing it on him by showing him. It seemed like a recipe for disaster, and she didn't want to lose what help she might have. Of course, all the other issues she had told him about containing other demons and magical beasts and the like were really all very minor compared to the looming threat of one of humanity's ancient enemies.

On top of that, she was relatively certain that she had misunderstood a lot of Void's intentions. However, it was still clear to her that it had intentionally released the Lieutenant. She also didn't think that it was trying to free the demon for malicious purposes. There wasn't much thought of that even at the beginning, but that could very well have just been her own wishful thinking. Now she was certain. Either it wanted a good fight against the demon or, more likely given what she'd learned about Void's motivations, it wanted to clean up the disgusting filth that the Lieutenant was.

The other option she had been considering was that the Lieutenant was meant as some sort of training exercise for her like the other demons had been. That seemed less likely now. Void was going to defeat the Lieutenant, and she had little doubt that it could. She wanted to be of assistance. Not just because it was her master, but also for the sweet experience she would get from the combat. Even a fraction of a percent of the experience for the Lieutenant's defeat would likely be more than she could possibly imagine. It could take someone her level to the top tier in the country, likely in just one go.

Tony had been quiet for quite a while. Bee, having pulled herself out of her thoughts, looked to him to see what he was doing. Tony had leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. It appeared that he was in deep thought. Or maybe he had taken a nap? Bee sat there and watched him for a little. Eventually, she lost patience, though.

"Well? What do you need to do first? Will you still help? I understand if not. It is dangerous. But before you go, could you at least tell me a little bit about caring for chickens and the gardens. The library here is extensive but rather focused. I won't be able to figure that all out myself and have time to do all the containment necessary and…" Bee realized that she was rambling and shut up.

Tony didn't respond right away. And she started to wonder if she had actually scared him off or insulted him somehow. However, she didn't have to wait too much longer before he opened his eyes. The energy and vigor she had seen when they first met, in those eyes, had returned. Throughout the day, as she had told them of her struggles, it had faded. As they had walked, he had gotten tired, and her story was quite depressing, honestly. But now it was back. Though it wasn't exactly the same.

The energy and enthusiasm were still there, but they had changed slightly. As if a weight had compressed them. They were more substantive than before. The same amount of energy, just in a more efficient form, if that made sense. Something about that look sent her heart beating faster. It was full of intensity and what seemed like drive.

"Sounds like we have our work cut out for us." Tony leaned forward. "The way I see it is, I won't be able to be much direct help right away. But my job will be to make sure that you are in a position to do what is necessary. That will mean taking care of food and likely being another set of eyes. You're lucky that the crops planted around here are decent. Some of the ones that aren't food are not ones that I'm very familiar with, but I believe I can bring them back. Some of these are reagents you need for your alchemy, correct?"

Bee nodded. "Yeah, many of the ones that require freshness are outside. I think I can identify most of them by now."

She didn't mention that she hadn't had any need for fresh ingredients yet. Those usually tended to be the more powerful and complicated recipes. She wasn't that experienced yet, but she didn't want to shake any of his newfound faith in her.

"Well, the chickens also are underfed, but they should start laying eggs again soon. It was a good thing that you threw out all the eggs you collected because they probably weren't laid very recently at all. These chickens are underfed enough that they won't be laying again for another week. We should have enough food with what we just brought to get us through 'til the eggs show up, and I'll see what I can do about any crops that might be harvested slightly early. I think we'll be okay on the food front," Tony concluded.

Bee let out a breath of relief. That was some of the first good news she had had in quite a while.

"It sounds like you need to finish exploring the castle,” Tony continued. "How long do you think that will take?"

"It's hard to say. There's a lot of space around here. Plus, there are many parts of it that I've never been to myself. There are several different towers, and it will take me some time to travel between them all. It will probably be a couple weeks at the fastest. And if I stop to take care of threats as I find them, even longer."

"Will it be safe wandering around?" He chuckled darkly to himself. "Of course it won't be, but will you be okay?"

Bee got the impression that he was asking if she wanted his protection. "I should be fine. I'm mostly going to be following Void. It's guided me for the most part, and the whole effort really isn't mine so much as me helping Void out.

Both Tony and Bee looked around for the little black disc that had been pacing around the library. They didn't see it until Bee checked under the table and found it sitting at their feet. Tony saw it and jumped slightly, but just laughed it off. It seemed that he still wasn't taking Void seriously enough, in Bee's opinion.

I was glad that the large human had calmed down rather quickly. He was starting to grow on me, and I didn't want to have to spray him like I did the cat. Of course, I was prepared to do so if that meant protecting Beatrice. And I definitely didn't want to chase him away, at least until he taught Beatrice how to give good pats. I totally wasn't biased at all.

But it was good to see him regain control over himself and even make substantial promises to assist Beatrice in her work. It was also nice to know what I would be doing for the foreseeable future. It was something I'd been looking forward to. Exploring the upstairs. Now that Beatrice was willing to take me, I could only imagine what messes were there. It sounded like there would be a lot.

Of course, I reminded myself not to get too excited. I had to remember not to clean up the circles of white powder. Those were important and supposed to be there; they were not part of the mess. Of course, if Beatrice wanted to get rid of the demons, I definitely wouldn't object. Besides, after finishing off all the earth demons, I had hoped to become more powerful again and maybe get another mutation. It probably wasn't healthy to count on stuff like that, but having seen how the last several went, I couldn't help but be excited to know what other capabilities I would soon acquire.

But more opportunities to clean would avail themselves upstairs. Of course, I knew I could transmute some of the stuff in my dustbin for energy and grow that way. I wasn't sure if I could exactly explain my reluctance to do so, though. Part of it was that if I experienced a similar explosion to what happened in the catacombs, I could do significant damage to the castle. Also, it felt like I wasn't really learning that way.

With my newfound capabilities, my efficiency of energy use was so much greater that I really never had to transmute stuff for power. Even after fighting all those demons, I only had to recharge once or twice. On top of that, my storage was limitless, so there was no harm in keeping too much stuff. I think I just needed to figure out what I wanted to do with all of it. Was there any use for this stuff besides giving me energy and more power?

Oh, it seemed that the humans were done. I replayed the last bit of the conversation in my head while I thought, since my sensors had picked it up and stored it in my memory banks. It seemed it was time for the humans to charge. They would begin all their work tomorrow. I went over to Beatrice's charging spot and positioned the blanket, getting ready to prepare her for charging. Tony was going to be on his own for now. However, it seemed that they weren't going to charge right away. That made sense. Tony still needed a blanket and pillow, I supposed, so I followed them out of the room.

"Is there any particular reason you sleep on the floor in the library?" Tony asked. "I mean, I understand sleeping in the library. It seems like it's near the exit, well-defendable, and has tons of useful resources with plenty of space. But why haven't you dragged a mattress in or something?"

"Uuuhhhh…"

CHAPTER 67

V IS FOR VACUUM

I followed Tony and Beatrice as they left the library. But surprisingly, they headed for one of the nearest smaller bedrooms. When we got there, I watched with a mixture of horror and interest as they removed a mattress from the bed. I didn't know beds worked that way. Had they just destroyed the bed, or were they disassembling it? What were they doing with it? Amidst my confusion, they carried it back to the library together and set it down on Beatrice's charging spot.

Oh. It dawned on me. Beds were the best human chargers, and Beatrice hadn't been using one. I didn't realize you could just move the bed to where she was sleeping, though. That was very smart of Tony to figure out. Why hadn't Beatrice thought of it, though? I wondered what the improvement in charging efficiency would be? Would they charge faster, or did this somehow change their maximum charging capacity? Truly, humans were fascinating creatures.

They returned and grabbed another one for Tony, along with blankets and pillows. I felt the need to be helpful, so I carried the pillow for them. It was much easier than it was the first time. I actually didn't carry it in my claw, as I was worried about dragging it on the floor and getting it dirty. Sure, I knew the floors had been cleaned recently, and my sensors confirmed that there was not a speck of dust on them, but it was more the principle of the thing. So I placed it on top of my chassis and just carried it there.

Beatrice looked a little bit mortified when I did that, but Tony gave me a smile. Really, Beatrice would need to learn how to relax. She really did think too much of me. When I dropped the pillow off at Tony's bed, I received a nice set of head pats. I was glad he hadn't taken my rebuke earlier too personally.

I then went over and made sure that Beatrice was fully in the proper position for charging. I sat and watched the door until they were both in sleep mode. Then I decided I would make sure everything was clean once more. Just in case.

Doing a round of the castle was no longer nearly as time-intensive as before. When I first dedicated myself to making sure that this castle was livable, the plan I came up with was a once-a-week full rotation to cover all areas. However, the entire area I had access to now took me less than a couple hours to clean.

This left me in a bit of a conundrum. What was there to do? There was not really anything I could clean that needed it. Sure, I could clean again, and there was some very minuscule fraction of dust that had collected in the last hour, but there were really diminishing returns there. I had even sanitized all the floors and areas where there were significant concentrations of minuscule germs. All the door handles had apparently collected a significant amount, I had noted. More than I had expected compared to any other metal surface.

Eventually, I saw the cat coming downstairs. It stared at me, and I stared at it for a little bit. I rolled toward it slightly to see what it would do. It simply popped to its feet, ran a few feet away, sat down, and continued watching me. I thought we had been forming a bond while Beatrice was away, but clearly, it was still a bit wary. I wasn't sure I would ever really understand cats.

At a complete loss of things to do, I returned to the library. I couldn't clean here, as there really was nothing to clean, and I didn't want to wake up the charging humans. With nothing better to do, I started inspecting the book that Beatrice always seemed to be reading. It wasn't a very thick book, but it seemed to be her favorite.

As I looked at the cover, I gently took the book down from the table and placed it in front of me. My claw very carefully cracked open the book like I'd seen Beatrice do many times before. I scanned each page. I wasn't intentionally trying to commit them to memory or anything, though I was pretty sure my memory banks would have no problem containing the entire contents. However, I wasn't really trying to record the book but, rather, looking for patterns in the squiggles within.

The book was divided into twenty-eight sections. It seemed there were twenty-six main sections; there were some smaller ones at the beginning and end. Each section was dedicated to one separate squiggly shape. Overall, I saw there were at least seventy-five different shapes. However, judging by context clues, it seemed a good proportion of them were more structural rather than contributing to the content. I didn't know why humans need so many structural indications in their encoding, but they could do whatever they wanted.

After I finished some basic analysis, it seemed that there were fifty-two different squiggly characters. Half of the characters were covered in this book. But I noticed a symmetry. It seemed like of the fifty-two characters, twenty-six of them corresponded exactly with another twenty-six of them. Of course, there were minor deviations and character shapes depending on which character surrounded it, but those differences were pretty easy to group together.

So it seemed that maybe these twenty-six characters represented half of the lexicon. The other twenty-six might either correspond to the first set or be somehow paired as some sort of interchangeable thing. There was definitely a pattern with the twenty-six characters that the book's chapters were dedicated to being used less frequently. There was also the fact that they were almost always after a small round punctuation indicator that seemed to separate lines of information.

I spent a decent amount of time trying to decode the book, but I was missing something. I needed some sort of connection to unravel the mysteries of these squiggles. Even if I just knew a little bit about what the book was about, or even a few sentences read out loud to me while I was able to watch, it might work. I was pretty sure I would understand that.

When Bee woke up, she saw Void flipping through her A is for Alchemy book. That was interesting. She had never seen it show any interest in the books before. She'd always put that down to the fact that it likely knew all the stuff in the books already. But the intensity with which Void was studying each page made her question that.

As she sat up, Void heard her and left the book to come over and say hello. She gave it a small bow of her head in greeting. It just waved its arm at her.

She moved quietly so as not to wake Tony. She did have many levels on him, so yesterday must have been a much harder walk for him than it had been for her. Normally she would have just gone about her day at this point. She'd probably do some cleaning with her master, continue some research, and maybe start exploring the upstairs today. But she didn't want to leave Tony just yet.

So she went looking for a book to read. She had not finished everything, but she didn't have any more need for more advanced alchemy right now. Scanning the shelves, she began to look for books that might be useful or interesting. Unfortunately, there were a lot of really useless things in this library.

She skipped over some tomes about demon containment; she had gotten a pretty good grasp of that already. There was a more advanced bestiary of known demons, but that wasn't quite where she was looking for either. Eventually, she found an advanced demon-fighting guide. This might have promise.

Demon Fighting for the Not Entirely Inept and Useless Person. The titles here were always slightly questionable, but she would say she had gone from "inept and useless person" to "probably competent." It was a book she remembered seeing when she was looking for ways to fight or contain demons for the first time, but recently her knowledge had been more focused on alchemy and healing. It might be good to do some undead research eventually, but that might have to wait. There still was that odd undead rat thing she had passed in the catacombs to deal with. She hadn't forgotten about that, but the demonic threat seemed much more pressing. Especially if they were to go exploring.

While she had passed up this book earlier, it fit her much better now. She pulled it off the shelf and began flipping through. It actually had a decent amount of advice. Apparently, it was written by some ex-adventurer who had spent some time training in a demonic college, almost like what she was doing. Of course, it was several hundred years ago, but that didn't make the advice much out-of-date. Demons hadn't changed very much since then.

One of the things that sold her on this book was the author's honesty. The author admitted that there were many times when various chemical forms of demon-fighting were relatively useless. The passage she was referring to read something like: "If you're getting chased by a freaking huge air demon and you throw some little bit of dust at it, even if that dust is demonsbane, it ain't going to do jack. Any air elemental that you need to run from should be high-enough leveled that it will recognize an attack and simply not let it hit. Sure, demonsbane cuts through most demonic magic, but literal air flinging it out of the way is much more effective. A low-enough level air demon that wouldn't be able to do that isn't worth the price of the demonsbane you just flung into the wind. And this is why it's always important to have heavier objects on hand too…"

The book went on, but this passage was incredibly useful. Most of the people who wrote books like these were scholarly mages and tended to forget practical aspects. Like the fact that air demons could control air. Or the fact that earth demons were massive and required much more material to deal with them because of their sheer size. This hadn't been an issue to Beatrice yet, as she had never tried a lot of their suggestions, but it was important to remember.

As she was engrossed in the book, she didn't notice when Tony actually woke up. It wasn't until he sat down across from her, muttering “good morning,” that she realized she was no longer alone. She returned the greeting, and they went about planning their day.

Tony really wanted to get started on some of the gardens she had shown him yesterday, along with the chicken coop. She was willing to help, but he said it wasn't necessary. It was a bit of a relief. She really didn't like farming. It was almost as bad as being a maid. Though with her luck, that meant Void might decide that farming deserved a solid place in its value system any day now. Plus, getting dirty was probably going to give her some class penalties, if she had to guess. Better to spend time leveling up or exploring the castle.

As they went their separate ways, Bee decided it was long past time that she checked up on the Lieutenant. With her much-improved version of Scan, she should be able to tell more about it, along with judging how much time they had left.

As she and Void made their way toward the Lieutenant's prison, a thought struck her. She realized she had forgotten something. "Master, where did the woman we rescued go?"

In her excitement to get back, she completely forgot about the injured woman she had left behind. She hadn't seen or heard the adventurer since she had been back, so she half-expected to find out that Void had eaten her for some perceived slight.

Through a series of complicated beeps and arm motions, Void was able to convey that the female adventurer had left abruptly. He also seemed to be indicating that she was quite rude.

Bee thought that was rather odd, but if the human had the strength to run, she was probably fine. She hoped she was doing okay.

CHAPTER 68

A STEP UP

Bee went with her master to check on the Lieutenant. Upon arriving, she found the black room spotless, as always. Her master did seem to like cleaning this room. It was perhaps the one that got dirty the most frequently; the cast-offs of a powerful demon like the Lieutenant were nothing to scoff at. Also, she figured it probably helped Void keep watch over the thing.

She was hesitant to get very close. The statue seemed like it hadn't moved at all. It still stood in its cage in the same position with the same look on its face as before, but something was different. She did her best to put her finger on it, but couldn't quite figure it out.

Bee walked closer to get into range of her Scan. Last time she had only gotten limited information about the Lieutenant's level from the "Level: 30+" addition. Though she had learned that it was a torture-type class, she was hoping to find out more information now that she had leveled up a bit more.

Name: Nazareth'gak, Race: Lieutenant Demon, Class Type: Torture, Level: 50+

She didn't get much more information, but as she got closer, she realized that the color of its eyes had changed. Not significantly, but she could see that they were a slightly darker color than the rest of the gray stone. Also, the stone flames that danced along its arms and shoulders seemed to be emitting a faint glow of light.

She quickly stepped back. Now that she was aware of it, she could feel a sort of magical pressure on her skin. That wasn't there before. In fact, she had never felt anything like it. But she had read about it. Apparently, Scan was slightly better than just reading system messages or system details about a person. It also let people sense magical energies with a higher sensitivity than their level would normally allow. She started to feel some pressure she hadn't felt before, so she wasn't sure if it was her Scan leveling up or if the demon was becoming more awake. However, this feeling was too intense to chalk up to her leveling alone. She shivered. She'd have to come back here daily to establish a baseline.

Once she had a good idea of how quickly he was progressing, she might be able to better gauge when he would be free. But even these changes by themselves were worrying. She had no way of telling how long it would actually be now, but the fact that it was in fact waking up was not good. She probably would have to assume that they would not have much time before she needed to act. The only real question was whether it would stay still until it was at full power, or start venturing out while it was still recovering like the other demons had done.

She was not sure which one would be worse. She would either have more time to plan for a stronger foe or have to fight a weakened one right away. She guessed it all came down to whether she could improve faster than the demon could awaken.

It was unfortunate that she wouldn't have time to try and contain it. Just laying a new circle would take so much time that it would likely awaken before she finished. Assuming that she was even able to set the protections up without any mistakes. And that the changes and energies around it didn't force it to wake up slightly sooner. Even if it wasn't at its maximum potential, she didn't have any confidence in facing the Lieutenant. Also, she wasn't going to force Void to help her if it hadn't taken care of things already. It probably had its reasons.

Closing the door behind her, she left the room. She needed to start planning. She also needed to decide whether to let Tony in on the big secret. There wasn't much he could do to help, she thought. Unless he was going to change his field of study from farming. But if he already had the Farmer class, it wouldn't help much. No, probably just letting him focus on creating a stable supply of food would be best for now. If he finished that and was able to maintain it with less than a day's effort, then maybe she'd think about it again.

But for now, it was time to explore the upstairs.

I watched as Beatrice checked out the tasteless statue and beautiful room. At first, I had been rather dismissive of the statue, but the more I had learned about it from hints Beatrice had dropped, the more I was wary of it. I had cleaned this room while she was gone, and had been surprised to find it dirtier than usual. Even once it was cleaned, I found it more difficult now to appreciate the beauty of the floor. I still couldn't deny that it was breathtaking, but it was hard to enjoy when I was so acutely aware of the thing at the center. So I had slightly mixed feelings when we left.

On the bright side, I had a good idea about what we were going to do next. I zipped ahead of Beatrice and found the nearest stairwell. She had initially been trailing me closely but had fallen a little bit behind. She broke into a jog but just couldn't keep up with my speed. I was slowly spinning in a circle, trying to contain my excitement. I didn't realize before what it was to get bored, maybe because my earlier inefficiency meant there was always more for me to do. But between my advancement and familiarity with these areas, the same castle that had been so much of a challenge before was now so far below my abilities that I wanted something new to tackle.

When Beatrice caught up, she smiled at me. "You want to go upstairs, Master?"

I let out an affirmative beep.

I still wasn't a huge fan of being carried, but Beatrice did do a good job of it. Being carried upstairs without having to just stare downwards at the floor was a much more positive experience. It also gave me a much higher perspective than I was used to. The stairs we were climbing were right across from the closet where we found the human woman. It was a narrow set of stairs, made of plain stone and hidden in the walls.

I had to say I approved of how this set of stairs was done. I thought this was how all stairs should be made. Hidden and out of the way. The fact that it was blocked off by a door was even better. If I didn't want to see them, I didn't have to. But this also disrupted my count. I thought there were twenty-seven different stairways besides the grand hall, but apparently, there were at least twenty-eight and possibly more.

Oh well. Beatrice knew the whole castle better than I did, I assumed, so I'd have to follow her lead in this.

When we arrived at the top of the stairs, I was set down again. This was a starkly different environment than the downstairs. Well, at least compared to the entryway downstairs that was so grand and fabulous. When you got farther back toward some of the bedrooms and offices, things became a little more simple.

Up here on this floor, they didn't even try to pretend to be fancy. It was a narrow corridor lined with hard black stone. The stones were well-fitted, of course, but not nearly as polished and smooth as the ones below. They also weren't arranged in any decorative patterns. The walls were made of similar materials to downstairs, understandably, but I wondered what possessed the architects to change their floor strategy so dramatically. Well, even if it wasn't fancy, it was still very well-made.

We came up to the end of a corridor that was only three and a quarter feet wide. And boy, was it dirty. It was as if no one had cleaned up here for over a month. Dust was everywhere, and I could see tracks in it, likely from the lesser demons. Apparently, they had found their way upstairs. I wondered if there were any still hiding around? I hadn't seen any in forever, so I assumed not.

Beatrice set off down the hallway. We passed several doors that resembled the ones downstairs but didn't go into any of them. I wondered what was in there. I would have to check later.

As we went, I passively cleaned. Normally this would have taken me a very long time to do. I would have had to go back and forth across the three-and-a-quarter-footwise hall, vacuuming up a thirteen-and-a-half-inch strip of dirt at a time. However, with my newfound abilities, I was able to just follow along at Beatrice's heels, vacuuming up the entire width of the hallway as I went. I actually could have moved significantly faster than we were going and still not have left a speck of dust in my wake.

So I wasn't going to complain about the pace. It seemed like a comfortable pace for Beatrice, and it also gave me time to methodically sweep my Sanitation Lamp across the floor. I didn't have time to disinfect the door handles or the walls or anything, but the floors did seem to be the dirtiest right now.

The only thing that disappointed me about my new cleaning powers was that I wasn't able to incorporate my graceful curves anymore. No, the most efficient style for me now was more similar to what it was before ever coming to this castle. Straight lines and sharp corners. When my cleaning radius was smaller, I had to find interesting and creative ways around obstacles. Now I just needed to send a bit more power to my vacuum and direct the air around any object in my way. That wasn't to say I didn't enjoy cleaning; it was definitely satisfactory to see the job done. But it never really felt like much of a challenge anymore.

We reached the end of the hallway, which was also capped by a door. Beatrice opened it for me quite graciously. I rolled through, out into a hallway. This hallway was much more reminiscent of the ones downstairs. Still not as fancy as the entryway, of course, but the oak flooring and the carpet runner were quite tasteful.

"Alright, Master, I think we need to check all the rooms in that direction," Beatrice said, pointing off to the right. "I believe that's where some of the secondary testing facilities were. Usually those had to do with some of the junior mages' research projects. But I think there are some storerooms which might include live specimens. That's likely where we would find any potential escapees."

By "escapees,” I assumed she meant some kind of mess maker. I couldn't let that happen. I'd already been responsible for far too much mess when it came to releasing the lesser demons and earth demons. I would have to be very careful not to disturb any more containment measures even if I wasn't sure how various types of salt could possibly contain demons. That was another thing I probably needed to figure out, besides reading.

I followed Beatrice to the right and entered the first door over there. Well, we didn't actually enter the room. We opened it up, and it turned out to be a closet. Then we went on to the next door. That one was more interesting. It wasn't a room with cages or anything that we were exactly looking for, but it was a room full of benches. And not the kinds of benches people sat on.

The rows of narrow tables with stone tops were almost perfectly flat. Often beside the walls were cabinets with glass windows, clear enough that I could see inside. They were full of various other glass shapes and strange equipment. Along the far wall, there were several more interestingly shaped pieces of furniture. I wasn't sure what their purposes were, but humans did have some pretty odd design choices.

One of the stranger pieces looked almost like a fireplace set on a table. The table part was about the same size and dimensions as the other tables around the room. A hutch of stone rested on top of it, taller than either Beatrice or Tony. The open part of the hutch faced us and was mostly covered by a pair of heavy-looking hanging curtains. Even more confusing were the tubes that led from the stone fireplace-like part to a set of bellows on the floor next to it. Truly, I had never seen anything like this. It seemed well-made, but it wasn't exactly pretty. It didn't have any ash or soot around it, though, which was a relief. I might not have been able to clean inside otherwise.

The room was actually surprisingly clean. There was a little bit of dust, sure, but it seemed the room had been shut this whole time and was well-cleaned beforehand. Beatrice seemed to get very excited, though. Darting toward the edge of the room, she started rifling through the cabinets, checking to see what was there. I just started sweeping the room, making sure that I cleaned off the relatively thin layer of dust. With all the tables, navigating the place was actually a little bit tricky. It almost made me a bit nostalgic.

CHAPTER 69

NICE FLOORS

Bee spent some time sorting through and inspecting all the alchemy equipment. So far, she had been making do with her small kit and whatever glass equipment she could get from the kitchen. She had thought about trying to use some of the metal mixing bowls and other tools. Still, the books had emphatically warned her about anything other than glass.

Searching through the cabinet, she saw all the equipment listed in her books—proper measuring tubes with better tolerances than flasks, various types of distillation tubes, and vessels designed to better control temperature. This would make her alchemy so much more effective, not to mention easier. She even found a nice stand that she could put a candle under to provide a steady, constant source of heat.

Bee caught herself in the middle of wondering how she'd transport all of this back to the library. Now that she had access to an area specifically intended for alchemy, why abandon it? This place even had safety equipment built in for her peace of mind. Now that the castle was safer, or so it seemed, there was no point in doing alchemy in the library besides being able to quickly find reference texts. She could just come up here when she wanted to prepare a potion or try a new recipe. Still as exciting as this discovery was, it wasn't why she'd come upstairs.

When the mages were still around, she had been allowed upstairs to clean, but many rooms had been shut to her. So she didn't really know the layout very well. She looked around to find Void cleaning the floor. In fact, he was actually almost done. She watched it go back and forth a couple more times at the far end of the room. The amount of dust that drifted up off the floor was significant. It seemed as if it was no longer bothering to only pick up the dirt directly underneath it like it used to.

She wondered if her master realized how time-sensitive things were. Sure, she had spent a few precious minutes looking around, but even that was less than she would have liked. She was holding herself back here in the interest of heading off any recovering demons or dissipating suppression rings. Void just didn't seem to mind at all. She went back and grabbed a couple of the flasks while it finished up the last bit of the room. With a couple of the more useful pieces tucked away, Bee waited for Void at the entrance.

Oh, I noted the human was done. I was glad that Beatrice hadn't decided to take very long. It was so kind of her to wait while I finished up the floor. Even if it was only a few seconds. Based on how excited she was to see this place, we would probably be coming back, and it would be important to make sure that it was clean when we did. It would give the room some extra pizazz when she opened the door. It wasn't like this was some storeroom we would never have to enter again. People usually didn't care about how those looked, even if I did.

We couldn't stay too long, so I did a cursory cleaning of the floor rather than a deep clean. We exited the room and continued down the right hallway. We kept trying doors, finding more closets and storage rooms within. We even discovered a couple more rooms full of long tables like the first.

It wasn't until we had tried nearly a dozen rooms that we found a different one. This was a room of cages, not quite like the cages that I had seen before, but still similar enough. It looked like all the cages were much smaller, the largest being about two feet tall. The shortest was only 9.6 inches.

Strangely, the material wasn't just metal. Yes, the bars and grating were mostly made of metal, but my sensors indicated that there was some glass between each metal strip. The setup made them less cages and more containers. Inside each one of them, there was a small birdlike thing. It was curled up into itself as though sleeping, with a strange toucan-like beak that more resembled a mouth full of sharp teeth. Closer inspection also indicated that the "feathers" weren't actually feathers at all but more visually similar to plumes of frayed thread. They were also very red. And very hot.

The cages were placed on the dark stone floor like usual. Each cage also had a ring of salt around it. The salt was formed into somewhat familiar and very complex patterns. Not the patterns of the language that I was learning from Beatrice's book, mind you. This was more like the patterns around the other cages I had cleaned up. Thinking back, it was also like the pattern that was around me when I first came to this place. I supposed that made some sense with Beatrice's story.

The patterns didn't match exactly. They were much more complex than the "normal" human language, and I had no hope of decoding them yet. Too many unique characters, and I had no frame of reference for what they meant. I was debating with myself if I should have Beatrice teach me this, too, when I asked her about reading normal letters. Just when I was considering this approach, Bee started to rub out the salt around one of the smallest cages.

I beeped in panic. Hey, you're not supposed to do that. You just told me that was a bad idea. That was kind of a hard sentiment to get across, though. At times like these, I really wished I could talk. But still, she seemed to understand. She looked down at me and smiled. "I think I've learned enough that I could probably redraw some of the simple suppression rings. At least, I hope so. I don't want to fight fire elementals. I'm just glad there aren't any greater fire demons. This castle probably would have melted if there had been any like that let loose."

After she had collected all the dust around that one cage, she started sprinkling dust from a second pouch back around it, almost exactly matching the pattern of the previous dust.

Once she finished, she stepped back. She watched the cage for a second and then frowned. She stepped forward and examined her work, pushed a few grains of salt to the side, and stepped back again. This repeated several times.

Each time the design she laid out was more and more similar to the one she had just erased. Eventually, she got stumped and moved to wipe it all away. But I knew what she was missing. I saw there were just a couple of small mistakes, and I understood why they were hard to see. They were pretty minor. I reached out with my arm, and before she could wipe away the salt, I gently pushed a few grains of salt to the left and right. It felt strange to not be cleaning up what I would have normally tagged as a mess, honestly. But now that I understood it had a purpose, I could treat it like just another strange human decoration. When I had adjusted the pattern to match my stored image of the ring, Beatrice looked at me and stepped back.

We stood perfectly still for a half second before the circle flashed blue, and Beatrice smiled. "Thank you! I didn't notice those two lines were slightly at the wrong angle. I appreciate the instruction, Master."

She finished it off with a slight bow but seemed relatively happy, despite me having to correct her. This was not something I was comfortable with. I didn't really know what I was doing with this at all. The only thing I would be comfortable giving instructions on was cleaning, and this wasn't even close. In fact, this was almost the opposite of cleaning. Just because I had a good understanding of patterns and good memory banks didn't mean I was qualified to instruct her on this.

I examined the salt more closely. No longer was it just a series of piles. It seemed that the flash of blue had smoothed everything out somehow, and I could see energy trickling between each grain. Looking more closely at some of the other piles, I could see the same energy, but much more faintly. It seemed that the salt piles only lasted so long before they ran out of juice.

Beatrice stepped to the next smallest cage and made another attempt. Because the cage was slightly larger, the symbols were slightly different. Beatrice made several attempts at redrawing it; soon enough, she wiped away her patterns completely. Eventually, she got very close. I only helped a little bit at the end, but this one, too, flashed blue.

It was nice to see her making some improvements. To be honest, I didn't understand what was going on at all. The only reason I was of any assistance was because I just remembered what I saw. It was far too complicated for me to begin decoding these symbols without help.

We moved on to the next one.

Bee was extremely happy that her master was willing to assist her in drawing the circles. She should have guessed, but who knew it would be such an expert at demonic magic? That was a relief, too, because she was pretty sure that these circles were almost entirely out of power. And fighting these fire elementals would be very difficult. They were known for their speed and destructive power. Of course, if she had a bucket of water, it wouldn't be too hard to defeat them. The trick was catching them before they burned the whole place down.

After she had finished the second containment circle, she started to understand something. It was a brilliant way for her master to teach her, but the enchantments didn't just get larger as the circles grew. They had to adjust, too. Various runes controlled the size and density of the power suppression field. Also, emphasizing each variable even slightly changed the way they were written. It was really complicated and subtle, but Bee felt that she was beginning to understand it.

The third cage was actually the same size as the second cage, and it only took her a couple tries to get it right. She couldn't help but pump her fist in the air when she stepped back for that one. Finally, she had laid her first real containment circle all by herself.

This was a huge achievement. The only time that had happened to an apprentice when she was here, they had thrown a feast for him. Even a lot of the more reclusive mages had come out and drank wine and partied. Apparently, most apprentices studied for years before they were able to do that. Now she wondered how much of the time studying was really spent cleaning, but still. Apparently, it was a big accomplishment and a good excuse to celebrate. Of course, they didn't have the food for a feast, but she was still satisfied.

The fourth cage was larger, though. Instead of just going for it, she studied the current circle around it and made a note of the changes from the previous one. There were a lot, but they were similar for the most part. If you didn't take a closer look, you wouldn't even notice. She looked around, hoping she could find a paper to take some notes and do some math. But there was nothing nearby, so she just walked forward and went for it. It was really not that much of a risk. If she really couldn't get it and her master refused to help, she could always go downstairs and find some more resources. She'd have some time before the demon woke up. Besides, the circle was almost dead anyway.

It was tricky, but eventually she got it. Master let out an encouraging cheer. She looked down at Void by her feet and smiled. The recognition and praise were something that she wasn't used to. When she worked with her father, praise had been scarce at best, and cleaning wasn't exactly highly valued in the mages' college. She took a second to celebrate before moving on to the next cage.

There were still several cages to go, and she was pretty certain she wouldn't have enough salt to finish all of them. Still, she could make some decent progress here and now. After that, she'd come back tomorrow when she had stocked up on salt to better explore the rest of this floor. Overall, she didn't think she could ask for much more when it came to securing the rest of the castle.

CHAPTER 70

CLEAN WORDS

I supervised Beatrice as she spent several hours containing the fire elementals. It was fun to just hang out and clean together. Well, it was only sort of cleaning, more like fixing things. I had never been much of a handyman, but it was a lot more enjoyable than I would have ever thought. Perhaps I needed to expand my repertoire.

As we finished binding the last of the elementals, I noticed that Beatrice was starting to slow down. She was taking longer to speak, and her hands were much less precise. Then something clicked in my processor, and I realized this might be a symptom of humans getting tired. I didn't think we would be able to finish exploring this floor today.

We were so close to completing our task, though, so I figured I'd let her finish up. I saw her eyes starting to droop by the last circle and ended up mostly doing it by myself. I didn't mind too much, as she had gotten quite proficient and I hadn't had to help for quite a while.

After the entire set of cages had been re-ringed, Beatrice and I left to venture back downstairs. I didn't mind returning to this floor. It was nice to go explore something new, but I didn't want to get into too many new areas without Beatrice. Even though I had explored a lot of the main floor by myself, I had since realized that I might be missing important context about the nature of the messes I was cleaning. So it was best to have Beatrice take care of any of these odd things while I was able to do some of the more regular cleaning. She was like the specialized task force of our janitorial duo.

It was still a bit odd to think of a human as my assistant rather than the other way around, but it was something I was getting used to. Maybe her entirely-too-high opinion of me was rubbing off and inflating my ego. Still, I didn't imagine that would ever change. Though with how things had been going, perhaps I needed to try harder to meet her expectations, for her safety as much as mine.

As I tucked Beatrice into her bed, I pondered this. Could I really become powerful and capable enough for humans to look up to me so? I wasn't sure if it was possible, but I would do my best. Looking at the already snoring form of Tony across the library, I figured it might not just be for Beatrice's sake that I needed to improve. It felt like a lot of the humans around here could really use some help.

While the humans slept, I considered going for another pass around the entire main floor, but my sensors told me it really wasn't necessary for at least another day. Sure, I still could, but even that would only occupy me for a little bit. I would need something to do while they slept. Going back to the book that I had been looking at previously, I continued trying to decipher the characters. I thought I was getting pretty close. I realized there were actually only twenty-six characters. There just was some sort of special variation of each that went after the dot punctuation marker. And also sometimes randomly in a sentence. I had to figure out the logic, but I imagined I would soon.

Bee awakened slowly, snuggling deeper into the bed. It was comfortable, and while she was well-rested, that didn't mean she wanted the day to start just yet. She was unwilling to leave the warm comfort of her blanket cocoon for a few more minutes.

Eventually, she sighed and wriggled out from under the covers. She was becoming accustomed to being tucked in every night. It was a luxury she hadn't felt since her mother had died. She lowered her feet to the floor and sat for a moment, reflecting.

Looking at the light coming through the windows, she saw that she'd only slept for a few hours. A higher-level person just needed less sleep. Especially since she had slept so well over in the little village a couple nights ago. So it was no surprise to see that Tony was still asleep. He might have been a hard-working farm lad who was used to getting up at the crack of dawn, but that didn't mean he needed any less sleep than the normal person at his level. Checking his status, Tony was still level 6. She was level 18. No! she was level 19 now, apparently.

Bee yawned. She must have missed the message because she was so tired. That last bit of suppression circle maintenance had been hard to get through. It wasn't super important, as there was no skill choice or anything of the like. Just passive increases in her abilities. Other than that, it was really just a notification that she was one step closer to the next skill. Level 20 was tantalizingly close, but it wasn't that impressive. Well, it was at her age, but the rewards at level 20 weren't that impressive. It was just another skill. At 25, though, she could improve her class. And she would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't looking forward to improving Devotee.

As much as Bee had settled into the role of Void's Devotee, she was not exactly happy with it. Not that she wanted to leave Void, even if she could. No, it was mostly that the class didn't have too many benefits. Void didn't seem to get anything out of it either. There were no worship requirements for her, and as far as she could tell, her master didn't benefit from prayer in any way.

It didn't seem to get anything when she cleaned alongside it, so if she could get a more useful class specialization, she would like to. Still, 25 was a large jump from 20, even more so than 20 was from 15. At least in terms of experience, it was.

Stretching, she adjusted her clothes slightly. It had been nice of Mary to send her off with some fresh ones. She had long since gotten used to wearing the same set of clothes for several days in a row, but a month in the same set stained with sweat and blood was a bit much. She'd have to prioritize finding some other clothes. Now that she remembered what a fresh set felt like, she didn't want to go back.

Looking around, she saw her master flipping through a book, one that she was surprised to find it reading. It was her alphabet book, A is for Alchemy. It must have been so bored if it was reading an alphabet book for children. Thinking about it, though, she realized there was very little for it to do overnight. It was too efficient at cleaning to let that occupy it the entire night. Plus, it had no demons to hunt at the moment. Between that and its unwillingness to go up or down the stairs without being carried, perhaps Void taking up some light reading made sense. Still, the whole stairs thing did seem very strange for something that she knew to be so strong. Maybe she could help. She wasn't much of a carpenter, but maybe Tony could assist too. If they found enough wood, perhaps they could build a ramp up some of these stairs.

Bee considered how useful that would be. If her master asked for it, she certainly wouldn't complain, but it didn't seem like it would reach the top priority on her list. Maybe once they contained all the possible dangers on the upper floors, they would have time. And there was also the Lieutenant to think of. Her head started to ache slightly at the reminder of her constantly growing pile of tasks.

She moved over to Void's side. Looking over it, she saw that it was in the ninth chapter, "I is for Intent." That was a tricky chapter for her to understand. When she first heard about alchemy, it seemed like the recipe was the important part of getting the desired final result. The materials, the way they were mixed, the quantities, and so on. It was, for the most part, but there was another factor as well. A very important one, if relatively minor in effect. That was the intent behind the item being created.

Just a random circle shape or a potion unwittingly made wouldn't be likely to have much magic energy. Whoever was laying out the materials needed to have a clear picture of what they wanted them to do. Her tracing of the circles of the fire elementals was effective because she wanted to contain them, but probably less effective than if she understood each room to the fullest extent and really internalized how it would help keep them there. She wasn't sure how much of an impact that would make. But if she was someone who just randomly copied directions without having any intent, the magical properties of the materials would not be activated.

That was how she understood it. It was very likely that something was wrong with her interpretation, though, especially with how well her potions had worked so far. But why was Void reading this? It didn't seem to realize that she was standing over it as it traced under each word with its little claw.

I had done it! Humans were actually quite clever, even in this bizarre place. The characters each represented a sound. If you played those sounds out, they correlated with spoken words! How could I not have realized it earlier?

This was revolutionary. Of course, this book was full of mistakes too. I had extracted a set of rules for decoding that explained perhaps 70 percent of the symbols, but there were many that simply did not fit into the pattern. Many of these letters represented sounds that weren't found in the words that I was pretty sure they were trying to say. Even worse, sometimes a letter was said one way and sometimes another. The whole thing was full of contradictions and really, really confusing, but I was 96 percent certain of my interpretation. With additional confirmation and something to check my work against, I could probably bring my 30 percent uncertainty down to 0.6 percent pretty easily. But already, I was right enough that I was getting close.

After I had that epiphany to convert each letter to a sound, I went through each chapter closely to map these relationships out. Once I did that, things really started to line up.

I had flipped through the whole book dozens of times at this point. I had it mostly scanned in my memory, but somehow, the physical presence of it allowed me to catch things that my compression algorithm had deemed unimportant and hadn't saved. At least, that's what I thought was happening, but it was quite weird. Something about having the original in front of me seemed to help me, but I couldn't exactly explain why.

Anyway, I was now working on deciphering the ninth chapter. I was having a lot of trouble understanding it. Not necessarily because the words were more confusing than the previous chapters, but more because the contents of the chapter didn't really make any sense. I had gone through and looked at a few of the other chapters, which explained a lot of why random salt circles were on the ground all throughout this castle. But why it mattered what you thought when you placed down salt circles was still beyond me.

I was considering skipping over this chapter and moving on to the next one. The reason I hadn't yet was that this seemed to focus on one of the confusing letters whose sounds didn't seem to always be the same thing. Right about when I finally gave up on chapter nine, a shadow fell over the book.

This jolted me from my musings. I noticed Beatrice had woken up and come over to say hi. She was looking at the chapter as well.

Beatrice frowned at the page. "I found this chapter extremely confusing. I wish you were able to explain some of this to me. That would be really helpful."

Well, at least I wasn't the only one who was confused here. I was flattered that she thought I could explain it to her, but that was totally beyond me right now. She continued. "I mean, I understand the idea that you need to have the intent of doing something while you lay out your circles. But I don't understand why knowing more about the details of how the magic works can change the intent. So the particular part I'm stuck on is, does the intent guide the magic more efficiently somehow? Or does more knowledgeable intent just activate the magic held within the materials better?"

I just looked at her. Maybe if she kept asking questions, she would answer some more of mine. At least she was giving me data on what this text was trying to convey. I recorded her words to parse through further later. Though the fact that we were both confused didn't bode well.

CHAPTER 71

WORKLOAD OPTIMIZATION

Harold sat on his horse as he watched the brigade march out of the capital's gate. He wasn't exactly happy, but he supposed this was as good as he was going to get. The report from the adventurer team had not been followed up with a more detailed report. He could only assume that the two remaining members had not been able to get away. This had worked against him in some ways and for him in others.

He had managed to convince the king that they needed to send troops. With the looming war, though, all that he could peel off was a single brigade that was slightly understrength. Of the army's managed divisions, he had managed to get one of the more competent ones to draw from. But the command structure was not exactly what he had hoped. He wouldn't have cared if he wasn't being dragged along by himself—but since he was, it irked him that he was not only coming, but also wasn't in charge.

It was a type of punishment meted out by the king and tacitly supported by the Warden. Harold had been left in an advisory role for this mission on account of his failures. He couldn't complain too much, as he didn't have the military expertise to really lead a bunch of soldiers. But when it came to decisions involving demons, it was going to be difficult to take a backseat. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been much of a problem, but the brigade commander was not someone he felt he had much influence over.

Colonel Gaston was a hard man. A man who'd worked his way up from the ranks. He started at the bottom as a commoner and has spent many years being promoted only due to extreme service and loyalty. All around, he sounded like an amazing commander, but he was a bit of a stickler for the rules. Worse, he didn't hold much respect for the mage types. Normally if the colonel had come from a noble family, he would have been more used to the political world of the mages and been more willing to listen to Harold's advice. At least then Harold would have understood how to interact with him.

As it was, he feared that Colonel Gaston would put them in danger by underestimating the threat they were going against. The nearly four and a half thousand men were not half of what Harold thought they would need, but it was better than nothing. With those numbers, though, it was going to take them a while to get there. It would be a little over a week of travel to Greg and then five days more to the castle. He thought that even if the Lieutenant was released immediately, they would still be okay. Still, Harold's leg bounced nervously in his stirrup.

For the last 170 years, the mages had been replacing the Lieutenant's containment on a monthly basis. It used to be a permanent fixture until some dolt messed it up while trying to replicate the thing. Harold shuddered to think about the consequences that the poor guy must have dealt with. Still, between the last replacement date and the estimated time for the Lieutenant to recover, they would be getting there several weeks before it would wake up. Harold could only hope that that was enough time to fix things.

He sighed. He was doing a lot of hoping now, and neither he nor the Warden was very happy about that. Well, while he was at it, he might as well hope that they could handle the monster that the college had summoned.

Beatrice and I had given up on the book soon after Tony woke up. Apparently, our conversation was getting pretty loud as she asked me questions and I beeped confusedly back at her. Normally she seemed to have no trouble interpreting my sounds, but this time I didn't think she understood what I was saying. As she got increasingly confused and I struggled to explain that I didn't know what this was about, I was rescued by the other human's entrance.

Tony seemed like he hadn't charged quite enough, based on his 31-percent-slower-than-usual movements, but maybe I was wrong. He and Beatrice began to make plans for "breakfast." From their conversation, the word appeared to refer to a type of food. I had never been really engaged in the whole human food situation until recently. Of course, I had heard of breakfast before, but only now was I really able to put together what it meant. Thinking about it, I tried to figure out how the word would be spelled. Not for any particular reason but just out of curiosity. To practice.

My humans wanted to go make their breakfast, and I followed them to the kitchen. As we traveled, they talked about chickens and eggs and other food. I made my way over to the little crack that I caught the little furry mess maker in so long ago. I now had a word to describe it. It had been a small rodent that was either a mouse or a rat. With its size, I would have said it was either a very large mouse or a small rat, so it was hard to be certain. But one thing I remembered was that they tended to not be solitary creatures. If there was one here, there might be others. So I sat there patiently with my claw extended, ready to pounce in case anyone came out.

I wasn't lucky enough to catch one while the humans ate, but it was a good way to pass the time. It also gave me time to ponder the human food situation more. Tony returned to full movement efficiency after eating, suggesting that humans really did require some combination of food and charging to function optimally. I wondered why they needed two separate types of fuel. Soon after they finished, they went about their separate days. Tony ventured outside to go take stock of the gardens that he hadn't gotten to yesterday, and Beatrice and I went back upstairs. We checked on the fire elementals before we did anything else. We found nothing to worry about; apparently, we had done our job well.

We continued exploring the hallway companionably. As we checked each room, I did my best to clean it. Most of the time, we didn't need to stay in a room for very long. We found a few more that were similar to the fire elemental room but had a significantly smaller number of cages. Most of the time, we stopped to contain them right away. Only a few did we skip at Beatrice's behest.

Now that I had some improved knowledge of the containment circles from that book, they made a lot more sense when I was assisting Beatrice. Now I wasn't just copying what was there, but I was starting to understand why they were shaped the way they were. I didn't think I would be able to create one from scratch completely, but if I were to modify one for a different purpose, I might be able to do that. I could definitely replicate one I'd already seen before.

We made decent progress that first day. We had checked most of the hallway, but there was a lot more than just this one hallway upstairs. However, Beatrice seemed to think that most of the dangerous specimens were kept in this area. If she was right, it made sense to prioritize these. Maybe other demons would escape elsewhere, but those messes could be cleaned. Damage done by something like a fire elemental would be nearly impossible to fix for us. I still couldn't repair fire damage, after all.

We spent the entire day doing this. Once it was time for the humans to charge again, we went downstairs and back to bed. This time while the humans charged, I went around cleaning the bottom floor. I still didn't need to, but it felt nice. I took my time and treated it as a meditative pursuit. Plus, I'd rather have been cleaning it too often than not often enough. With how things had been lately, who knew when my attention would be shifted toward some new adventure?

This left me with many hours before I expected Beatrice to wake up, let alone Tony. For some reason, Tony seemed to need longer to charge his batteries. Oh well. With nothing else to do, I went back to trying to decipher A is for Alchemy.

I flipped back to the first chapter and read it from the beginning again. Taking my time to dissect each word, I still breezed through the first eight chapters. Everything that Beatrice and I had practiced today helped cement my knowledge from it. When I got to chapter nine, reading about intent, I was still thoroughly confused, though. Eventually, I decided to skip that chapter and just move on. Once I was in uncharted territory, I found that I was reading much slower. It took a lot more time for me to simulate the new information than it was to review the previous information in a different context.

Over time as I did this, I learned a lot about some of the basic principles of what Beatrice and I had been doing upstairs. Again Beatrice woke first and came over to see me reading. She continued her questions from the previous day, and this time instead of just trying to let her know I didn't know the answers, I tried to engage with her. We seemed to have a conversation, as she would put forth an idea and I could give her my general impression of it. It was frustrating not to be able to explain my thoughts fully, but I thought I was able to convey my opinions on matters well enough.

Tony woke up, and the pattern repeated. This time while they ate breakfast, I didn't wait for another mouse to come out. I instead found that the cat was back. It seemed to take it a couple days to forgive me, but now it wandered into the kitchen with an arrogant gait and sat on the counter looking down at me. I looked up and met its gaze.

"I didn't know you guys had a cat," Tony said as he jumped out of his seat, extending a hand slowly. The cat sniffed it and flopped over on its side as Tony began to stroke the cat between its ears. "Who's a good kitty."

I was a little taken aback. I had not received any more pats from Tony since the first ones, yet he dispensed them so easily to a newcomer? In fact, maybe he only dispensed them to newcomers? That would be unacceptable. Even more reason why I needed him to teach Beatrice this skill. But he clearly had his priorities wrong, giving my hard-earned affection to a third party. I bumped into Tony's ankles indignantly. He jumped slightly, surprised, before looking down at me.

"Oh, don't worry, I didn't forget about you," he said, and he kneeled down to pat my outer shell gently.

I turned around as I heard a gasp, but it was just Beatrice covering her mouth with her hand. I didn't know why, but she looked like she was almost choking on her food. Setting that aside, I was immensely pleased.

But the attention session didn't last very long. Tony had apparently finished taking stock of the outside domain and now knew what needed to be done to care for it. So he set off, once again braving the horrors of the world beyond the castle's doors. Beatrice and I went upstairs to continue our own mission.

The day was a bit more exciting than the previous ones. Apparently, we were dealing with some more threatening experiments this time. We hadn't allowed any major breaches of containment, but the last few had come pretty close. Luckily, there was nothing so destructive as fire, but a few of the bird-shaped creatures of wind had been chirping angrily at us from inside their cages as we redrew the circles.

Beatrice seemed to relax when we left the final room at the end of the hallway. "We still have a lot of ground to cover, but I think those are the most dangerous ones. The next things we should check out are some of the animal resource gathering stations. Those normally just contain normal animals that are either harvested or have some part of them harvested. The animals are rarely dangerous, but I imagine many ran out of food a long time ago."

I wasn't sure what to make of that and decided to reserve any sort of judgment until we opened the first door. Unfortunately for me, that first door set all of my sensors into overdrive.

CHAPTER 72

HAZARDOUS WASTE

I stared at the towering heap of blackish-brown filth that stood before me. How had something so disgusting managed to pile this high unnoticed? My sensors moved upwards toward the ceiling and registered a bunch of small, furry black shapes. Eyes blinked open and looked down at Beatrice and me.

The little beady black eyes blinked at semi-random intervals, creating a cascading pattern of winking stars above us. One of the creatures unwrapped what appeared to be wings around itself and then resettled them. I watched a glob of something fall from above and land on the pile, growing it just a tiny bit.

I ran my sensors over the mass and shuddered. This simply wouldn't do.

Without waiting for Beatrice to follow me, I rushed to the first monstrosity besmirching my floors. I couldn't roll over it, as it was tall enough to coat my chassis. Even if it would clean itself over time, I needed to exhaust all other options before I made that sacrifice. So I started shining my Sanitation Lamp at it. Judging based on how much microscopic life my sensors were registering, I reasoned that it might have some effect.

It wasn't enough. In fact, the data indicated that whatever this was had so much potency that it was contaminating the air around us. I started using my vacuum and air control to gently extract bits of mass from the pile, but it was prone to splatter everywhere. Stopping before I made even more of a mess, I popped out my Mop and Spray Bottle combo.

My Mop was an underused tool, in my opinion. Compared to how revolutionary it was when I first got it, its usefulness had quickly faded. There just hadn't been much liquid that needed cleaning recently. Until now. The goop was too solid to be picked up, so I sprayed some cleaning compound to dilute it.

Once I had sprayed it a little, I tried to absorb it, but my Mop mainly just removed the liquid I sprayed on the pile. The mess itself remained mostly unscathed. It was too dense. This was much more difficult than I had feared.

Beatrice had finally made it into the room. She had a rag tied over her face. "I hate cleaning up guano. It's the worst. Normally the mages only made us do this as a punishment. But still."

Was the goop called guano? At least the humans here seemed to understand the proper disgust that this guano deserved. This was one of the first moments that I actually had hope for the people here.

Moving toward a closet, Beatrice pulled out a shovel. That was a good idea. I wasn't sure how else to clean up this mess. She walked over to me with a shovel and bucket in hand and put the bucket down. With a sigh, she dug a load out of the pie and plopped it into the bucket.

As she was digging out another shovel full, she froze. "What!"

I waited for her to finish with the shovelful, trying to figure out how I was going to assist her. However, she didn't move. "I just hit 19 recently. How did I get to level 20 so fast?"

Beatrice shot me a quick look.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 20 REACHED. FIFTH SKILL REACHED. CHOOSE A SKILL: PERSUASION, DIVINE ALCHEMY, IMPROVED MUCKING.

Bee was conflicted. Not about what skill to choose—she had made up her mind as soon as the options were presented. No, she was trying to decide if it went against her pledge to Void to simply keep her options to herself this time. She reasoned that it didn't. Her master wanted her to be independent and resourceful, so surely it would like her to take the initiative here? She obviously wasn't doing this because she feared it would pressure her into Improved Mucking. Of course not.

Deciding to ask for forgiveness rather than permission and resolving to definitely consult Void next time, she quickly made her selection. "I'm thinking I am going to pick Divine Alchemy for my skill. Is that okay?"

Her master just gave her an affirmative beep. Bee let her shoulders slump in relief. She really hadn't wanted to pick Improved Mucking. Seeing how much experience she had gotten for the single scoop of bat guano she had removed; it could have been a good choice for leveling. But she shuddered at the thought. She'd rather level more slowly than hit level 100 as the world's best bat guano shoveler.

The first option, though, was also one that she would avoid at almost any cost. It was her father's favorite skill. One that he had used at every turn in both his business and personal life. Persuasion was a skill that Bee found deeply disgusting. The way it subtly warped the mind of the target was sickening. After being the target of it so many times, she decided to never even consider it.

That she had even been offered the skill was worrying for her. She supposed it had to do with her interactions with Tony's family and her bargaining. Of course, that had been with the best of intentions, but still, the system seemed to count that.

Of all the options, the one that she chose wasn't a very hard decision. She didn't exactly know what Divine Alchemy did, but it sounded awesome. Her first truly magic-based skill! This was everything she had dreamed about. Bee had a nagging thought that it wouldn't give the abilities of the god of alchemy, though. She would need to look through the library and see what it actually did.

She finished her second scoop of guano with a lot more enthusiasm. The experience she earned for that one was much less than the first, but still an incredible amount. What made this such a valuable task to Void? It was cleaning, sure, but she normally wouldn't get anything that lucrative from the more routine stuff.

Looking over at her master, Bee became even more confused. Typically, it was the most enthusiastic cleaner that she had ever seen. But now it was spraying liquid at the pile and trying to mop it up ineffectually. It didn't seem to be having much success. Could it be that it had never cleaned guano before?

After a long day caring for the bats, Bee finally returned to the library. She wanted to pass out right after she and Tony had finished eating, but there were a couple things that she needed to take care of. First, she wanted to check out what her new skill did. Also, now that they had cleared out the other possible threats from the castle's upper levels, she figured it was time to turn her attention to Nazareth'gak.

She noted that Tony had made it to level 7. It seemed that his time in the fields had done him well. However, she refrained from congratulating him on it. He hadn't brought it up, and she still hadn't revealed her Scan ability. Instead, they talked about how the crops and chickens were doing.

Tony had settled into a routine, and she hated to admit it, but most days she forgot he was here. The only times they saw each other were in the mornings and evenings. As Bee needed less sleep than he did, often she was gone before he woke up. However, she no longer had to worry about food. At all. But it wasn't just like servants laying out a meal; Tony did it with more care. She imagined this might have been what living with parents who cared about her was like.

Her mother had been like this, but it had been far in the past, and she didn't remember it as much as she would've liked. But if Bee came back from clearing out dangers on the upper floors late, there was always food waiting for her, usually some for breakfast as well.

Now that the upper floors were mostly safe, she actually had business in the library today. She browsed the shelves looking for a couple things. The exact title of the book she was looking for still eluded her, but she had an idea of what to look for. Eventually, she found a thick tome that mentioned her new skill. As she read the description, her heart sank.

The skill did not, in fact, give her divine abilities in alchemy. No, it was a faith-based skill to which classes like Devotee often had access. This skill gave her improved abilities with the types of alchemy that her divine patron favored. Of course, for her, that meant cleaning. Well, that wasn't useless, exactly. She could dabble in more cleaning-related solutions, but maybe there were other applications here too. If she convinced Void that a speed potion would help her to clean more quickly, would the skill consider those fair game? It was something to test. Other than that, so far, she couldn't figure out a recipe that involved circumventing stairs. Maybe she could make ramps?

The second book she found in the stacks Void had arranged by the entryway so long ago. That was probably why she had never found it. Containment and Disposal: What to Do When You are Done with Your Demons. It was exactly the book she needed.

As she read through it, things proved much more difficult than she had first thought. There was no simple way to kill a demon that was contained and in stasis. Not unless you had access to power a dozen levels higher than the demon's. A captured demon just had too many inherent defensive properties for someone to effectively damage it. However, not all hope was lost. There were ways of making a demon come out of its slumber while weakened significantly.

The book referenced a dozen different methods, none of which it discussed in depth. It did reference a few other books, which she eagerly collected. They didn't directly address the methods for disposing of unwanted demons the first book laid out, but they discussed the concepts that it was based on.

One was an in-depth discussion on how demons regained consciousness as they came out of hibernation. Another talked about the environmental effects on demons.

Containment and Disposal mostly centered its ideas around waking the demon up to consciousness before its full power returned. If it woke, then it would lose its protection and still not have its full power. Forcing a demon awake early wasn't easy to pull off and required several difficult-to-concoct potions. Normally this wasn't done, as people generally were not stupid enough to summon demons much stronger than themselves without binding them.

The second approach was more to make the mages' life easier. It dealt with preparing the surrounding environment and essentially setting traps. If they filled a fire demon's surroundings with water before it woke up, there would be very little trouble in fighting it. There were several other things that could be done like that as well. Most, though, required a group of mages to pull off, and that was something that Bee wouldn't have.

The most common disposal method was banishment. The demons could fight against it, of course, but it was a lot easier than killing them. Unfortunately, it required more people. It also depended on the type of demon. The lesser demons they had been fighting at first were easy to banish, and that was the most common solution for them. The earth demons were pretty much impossible.

Bee wasn't sure how she would handle Nazareth'gak. There was no way she or anyone else was going to be able to banish it. She also would have needed to start redrawing the circle months ago to have any hope of finishing it on her own, assuming she could. It seemed that she had a week or three to find some way to get rid of it before it woke up naturally.

If the Lieutenant woke at full power, there likely wasn't anything on this planet that could stop it from freeing its brothers. If that wasn't the case, she would have seriously considered running.

Looking through the references and all the possible ways that she could weaken a demon, Bee began to make notes. She was writing things down long into the morning.

Eventually, she fell asleep in her chair, head on the table, and notes pushed to the side. She stayed like that through the night, even as Tony checked on her before bed. Even as a concerned Void nudged her foot, trying unsuccessfully to get her to move to the mattress just a few feet away.

CHAPTER 73

IMMACULATE

I didn't have anything to clean.

I had faced this issue repeatedly over the last few nights, but now the realization was hitting me in full. It was a difficult idea to process. It wasn't just that I had other, non-cleaning activities to get to, such as interpreting the humans' written language. The floors were immaculate, the furniture was straightened, and even the lower sections of the wall were freshly dusted. No, there really was no productive cleaning that needed to be done.

It was a rough change to get used to. It was bittersweet at best. On the one hand, I was proud to be so efficient, but on the other, it left me without purpose. When I had humans directing me, I knew when I needed to clean and when I needed to charge. They would just tell me, and I would do it. It was a simple life and one that I could enjoy without much thought.

Now that I was making these decisions for myself, it was much harder. Starting with the fact that I no longer needed to charge, the solution should have been obvious: just clean constantly. Well, there was not enough around here for me to clean constantly. Even sanitizing the castle no longer took very long.

I had sought to improve and improve I had. I was so efficient that I was able to run solely by converting the dust I picked up to energy, and that was with all of my new fancy functions operating as needed. I didn't have to touch any of the mess makers inside of me for power. Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to do with them, but I didn't see much of an issue with just leaving them in my dustbin indefinitely.

My predicament came from the simple fact that I had improved too much. So much so that I was losing my purpose. I didn't know what to think about that. I brought up the prompt that I received when we had finished cleaning up all the guano. I had transmuted the horrid stuff and a few other forms of waste that had accumulated in my dustbin, since I saw no reason to keep those around.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 40 REACHED. NINTH MUTATION REACHED. CHOOSE A MUTATION: AIR PURIFIER, MYRIAD TONGUES, GRANT SAPIENCE.

As I read it carefully again, I knew this was what used to be shouted at me when I became stronger. Now that I could read, it seemed that the mysterious voice no longer felt the need to talk to me.

Did I even want to choose a skill? The last few that I acquired were decent and made me so much more effective. But at this point, did I still seek improvement? I blamed Air Affinity for my current predicament. It had so drastically increased my effective range that it made me not even have to take obstacles into account. It only got worse as I practiced with the skill and continually leveled up.

I considered what I needed to do. My role was changing, and it was becoming more apparent that fighting that change was not going to be very effective. If I did nothing, though, I would still be left as I was, with less and less to do.

However, if I embraced my changing responsibilities, I might have some control. I would just need to figure out what I would like to do going forward. Resigned to having even fewer active tasks that required my direct attention, I picked Air Purifier. It was the only one that I could really justify. Sure, it would help with my cleaning abilities and allow me access to a whole other field to clean. A small expansion of my duties. But I couldn't get my hopes up about this being the solution to my problems. Especially since it didn't seem very active.

Having made my selection, I felt my internals change. Sure enough, I had one new function. I could take air in and remove its impurities. I could already do this to some extent with the dust filter in my dustbin, but now I could remove even smaller impurities, and I would also be able to identify what I was removing. Useful but not game-changing. As expected.

No, just getting better at cleaning was no longer my purpose here. I had held out hope that once I became an expert janitor, my humans would come and get me. This had seemed like the perfect training ground, after all. And it was. I had become so efficient it would take me less than a minute to finish cleaning their entire house once a day. Maybe five minutes if I didn't move.

Clearly, my humans wanted me to get more out of this place than just being better at cleaning. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, though. It might have to do with instructing the locals in the lifestyle of cleanliness like I initially imagined. However, I had expected to do that by example, mainly. But perhaps I needed to take a more active role like I had with Beatrice. Teaching Beatrice so far had been exceedingly satisfying and, in my opinion, worth my time. I could only hope my humans would agree. With no guidance from them, it was hard to tell.

My processors whirred, making a note of the conclusion. I had an idea of what I wanted to do. I just needed a more detailed plan. Perhaps all these books might contain something I could learn from, to give me more to go on.

So I set about the new task I had given myself. I grabbed the first book to the right of the door and began reading.

Harold was both relieved and anxious to have finally made it to Greg. The journey had not been a pleasant one. He had done his best to educate the leaders about the danger waiting for them. He still wasn't going to tell them about the Lieutenant, but rather of archfiends and greater demons. Classifying the demon they had summoned was still beyond him; the Warden had given him open access to the order's library, and he had not found anything even remotely like the description.

They had listened skeptically at best and flatly ignored him if he went on for too long. It didn't make any sense to Harold. The commanders knew where they were going and why, for the most part. So why did they refuse to learn more about what they would be facing?

Maybe they didn't believe him? Or did they think to count on him doing all the heavy lifting for them? If that were the case, they would be sorely disappointed. He wouldn't be able to do much to the demon if last time was any indication.

As they rode into the walled city, Harold tried to plan for the next week. He imagined that he wouldn't be able to communicate any useful information to the troops while they were here. Now that they weren't on the road and the commanders had an inn and beds, they would likely be too drunk to understand him in the first place.

Honestly, he didn't blame them. Only a month or two ago, he would have distanced himself from such shows of irresponsibility, but now he wished to join them in their distraction. Knowing what was coming if they failed, it was hard not to want a drink. He got the feeling that he wouldn't be welcome if he tried to join them, though. Colonel Gaston likely knew about his role in creating the current dilemma. If he hadn't shared the story with his staff, they clearly got his attitude.

With nothing better to do, Harold decided to leave the inn the military had taken over for the night, and go looking for a quiet establishment that would serve a fine cognac. He didn't have the highest of hopes, but he wasn't ready to give up yet. If he had to, he would settle for a bourbon. These parts were known for that. Even if it wasn't his thing, it might be worth trying.

After putting away his bags, Harold exited the inn to search. As he wandered the darkening streets, he crossed in front of a dark alley. A gaunt, huddled figure within made him pause. This city didn't have much in the way of vagrants. Normally beggars were all cleared out and press-ganged into service for the war effort. To see one so out in the open was rare.

On a whim, he stepped into the alley, digging in his purse for a few loose coins. If the person hadn't been picked up yet, they were likely new to the town or the streets. Either way, some coins might help them avoid conscription. As he reached out to proffer the coins to the beggar, a hand reached out to him. Not for his coins, but his wrist.

He flinched back, but the hand clamped on with surprising strength. Now that the figure was closer, he realized the hand was not as withered and frail as he had imagined. It was a strong hand stained with herbs and callused like those of an archer. Harold tried to pull away but found himself outmatched. The voice coming from the hood was that of a woman. "It's coming. You don't know what is coming!"

Harold wrenched his arm harder, trying to break free of the clearly insane woman. In the struggle, the hood slipped off his attacker's head. His wide eyes gazed into a face that seemed too familiar. He couldn't place exactly where he knew it from. The eyes were gaunt, and he could see cheekbones clearly through taut skin.

Greasy hair fell over half her face. All the while, she didn't stop gibbering. "It's a disc. It has the demons inside of it. It spews them out, and they are scared. They scream and howl."

Harold froze. There was only one thing that the description brought to mind. A disc was a distinct shape, after all. Peering closer at the raving madwoman, Harold tried to place her face. A meeting he had with Captain Wallace, the last time he had come through here, came to mind. He wasn't sure, but this might have been the female adventurer that had been sent to the castle.

"Here, let's get you up." He hoisted the woman to her feet. He needed to take her to Captain Wallace to make sure. Because if he was right about her, they might have some more warning about what was to come. Doing his best to ignore her cries, he bundled her along to the nearest guard house.

"Yes. Yes! Let us run. Run, run, run. We need to flee. Keep running. We can't stop. If we hide, it will find us. And consume us. Its servant will track us down, and if we are lucky, we too can be its slaves. Hahahahah…" As the woman started laughing, a cough racked her body. Harold felt at her head and could feel a fever burning her up. She would need treatment before he could get anything useful out of her.

Captain Wallace didn't appear happy to see Harold at his door. His wife glared out at him over his bare shoulder with nothing but a nightgown on. Harold wasn't too surprised. No one appreciated nearly having their door kicked in at a little after one in the morning.

Still, he needed to talk to the man. When stopping by the guard office, Wallace wasn't there. It had taken Harold the better part of an hour to track him down, all while dragging a sick, crazed woman behind him. Neither of them was going to have a good night.

"What do you want?" The voice was quite unfriendly, but as he recognized Harold, Wallace's face relaxed slightly. "Harold? What are you doing here? Are you with the troop of soldiers just outside?"

Harold nodded. "Yes, we are coming to deal with the disturbance from a while back. I found something that you might need to see."

With a jerk, he pulled the woman into the light spilling out of the doorway. Wallace looked confused for a second before recognition dawned on him. "Patricia! What are you doing here?"

Harold looked at Patricia, but she just kept muttering. He saw Wallace's wife ask a question, and Wallace answered before the door was flung wide, and they were ushered inside.

"I found her in an alleyway. I think she's sick. I should be able to help her fever, but something is wrong with her head. I'm not sure how much of that is just the fever and how much is something else entirely," Harold explained as they were ushered to a spare room upstairs. "I'll need to use your kitchen."

After they got Patricia in bed, they headed downstairs. "Since she didn't come to report to me as Arnold did, I think there is something beyond fever at play here. I'll send for him, and we can see what information we can get out of her."

"I might need to delay the army by a day or two. Maybe catch up with them. I don't think I can overstate how important the information she might have is."

"I'll get messengers. I don't imagine I'll be getting much sleep." Wallace rubbed his forehead with a tired sigh. "Oh, and pour me some brandy from the top shelf in the study, will you?"

CHAPTER 74

RAMPING UP

Bee spent the morning reading through more books, trying to find as many ways as she could to awaken the demon when it was as weak as possible. Progress was slow, and she was getting frustrated.

There was no logic behind it, but she was having trouble staying focused. When reading about alchemy recipes or magic, she lost track of time and could spend hours poring over the instructions or reading about theory. However, demon properties and classifications just made her eyes glaze over.

Looking down, she figured Void was bored too. It had disappeared for an hour in the morning before returning. Now it was just sitting under her table reading a random book it had grabbed from the door. Every few minutes, she would hear it carefully turn a page. A thoughtful humming noise would emanate from it every once in a while, too. She wondered what it was thinking about.

Eventually, Bee stopped bouncing her knee and stood up. Void rolled out from under the table as she did so. "Let's go check on Tony. I need a break."

Void let out a hesitant sound but seemed to agree in the end. As she carried it down the stairs, she went back to her thoughts from earlier. She had received a lot of experience from cleaning the bat guano. Not quite enough to put her at level 25, but enough that she felt she was close. Unfortunately, that would take a while to build up again, and in the meantime, there weren't any other large messes for her to clean for easy experience.

There also weren't any enemies near her level that she would risk taking a broom to. Void had thankfully demolished the demon population while she was out getting supplies, and she didn't think she was quite ready to take on whatever Void might have left down in the catacombs.

If she got so many experience points from cleaning something difficult like the guano, surely she would get points for helping Void get up and down the stairs by itself. Especially since she was still getting points every time she carried her master up and down the stairs. Not as much as when she was cleaning, of course, but not an insignificant amount considering her high level.

She wasn't quite willing to farm experience this way, as carrying Void up and down stairs when it didn't want to be carried didn't seem possible or advisable. Also, that wasn't in the spirit of how her class leveled.

Bee found Tony outside tending to one of the vegetable patches. It was a huge contrast to when she had seen it last. No longer was the ground overgrown with weeds and struggling vegetables. Each row was neat and clean. The plants were trimmed nicely, and fresh little irrigation trenches ran between the rows.

"Hey, Tony! How's it going?" she called out as she approached.

Hearing his name, he looked around. A huge smile spread across his face as he noticed her. "Bee! Glad to see you getting some sun! It's been good. Here, I wanted to show you how the daikon is coming in nicely."

He led her over to another patch and pulled out a carrot from the ground. Bee remembered this plot of vegetables. "Hey, I tried one of those carrots a week or so ago. It wasn't ripe then."

Tony gave her an odd look.

"What?" she said indignantly. "This is a carrot, right? It's only slightly orange because it's not ripe yet?"

"You really don't know anything about farming, do you?" Tony grinned.

"Not really…" Bee felt slightly insulted. "So what am I getting wrong?"

"Well, this isn't a carrot. I don't know where you are seeing any orange in this. It's white. Also, it doesn't taste like a carrot at all…" Tony explained. "Besides, carrots are always orange, and you can eat them at any time. Sometimes when they are too big, they can even taste a little bland…"

Seeing her give him an uncomprehending look, Tony shrugged. "Well, these will go good in a stew tonight. I can't believe you don't know what daikon is…"

Bee followed Tony around for a few minutes as he worked. Trying to do her best to get over her embarrassment, she remembered why she had come out here. "Actually, I was going to ask for your help with something. If you have the time, of course."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Well, you know how I have to carry Void up and down stairs? I think I mentioned I get experience for that because one of Void's ideals is hating stairs…" Bee cut off as Tony started chuckling. "What, did I not tell you about that?"

"No, no, you did. It's still just too funny."

Bee did have to admit it was pretty ridiculous. She just couldn't bring herself to laugh at Void after what she had seen it do. Luckily, her master didn't seem to mind. "It…s a bit ridiculous. Well, along those lines, I wanted to try something…"

I watched at the top of the stairs as the humans started to put together some strange contraptions. It still wasn't apparent what they were planning on doing with the large number of planks and spare doors they had spent the last couple of hours gathering. Once they started gathering hammers and nails, though, I started to get a bit concerned.

I didn't have any particular reason to doubt their skills, but watching Beatrice hammer nails into wood made my bristles twist with worry. I thought back to how much time she had spent damaged and all the other incidents she had run into so far. She didn't have a fallback like my Automatic Maintenance, after all. Well, maybe now that she had another human, she wouldn't have to perform repairs on herself. That might speed things up.

Of course, now that I had two humans that needed caring for, I might need twice as many spare human parts. Though honestly, I was starting to doubt that humans used spare parts. I had only managed to read through a few books so far, but not once did the humans use spare parts when they were damaged.

In the tales of Gerlaurdgaurd, the hero I was reading about, it always seemed like he never got hurt and all his enemies died the instant he hurt them. The only time the human repair was even mentioned was when his allies had to spend time healing. It seemed that time and a competent mechanic were all they needed. Though there was mention of an adventurer retiring after taking a projectile to a vulnerable leg joint, which might indicate that not all things were repairable. But if time didn't fix that sort of injury, why didn't he just use a spare human knee? The only rationale I could think of was there were no spare parts. Of course, that was working under the assumption that humans were rational. I was reasonably dubious of that assumption after my experiences here.

Eventually, the project my humans were working on started to take form. It was actually quite a simple design. At regular intervals, short pieces of wood were nailed into longer planks. Once the first plank was set up, they laid it over the stairs. The stubby pieces of wood stopped it from sliding down.

Tony and Beatrice repeated this three more times before the planks covered an entire two foot wide section of the stairway. It was a ramp!

I let out a series of excited beeps before trying to roll onto it. The start of the ramp wasn't exactly flush with the top of the stairs, but with a bit of initial momentum, I was able to bridge the gap. With excitement, I trundled down the ramp. When I got to the bottom, it was difficult to disembark. Eventually, I had to give up on getting off cleanly.

I had to let my front scrape against the ground. I also needed enough momentum to carry myself all the way to where my wheels would again touch the ground. Otherwise, I might get stuck. That would be extremely embarrassing. I managed it on my first try, though.

As soon as I zoomed off of the boards, I turned around to go back up. I had the same problems on both ends. Neither was insurmountable, though. I would have preferred a slightly lower-grade slope, but I wasn't going to complain! It would likely eventually damage my undercarriage, but with my repair functionality I didn't even have to worry about that. I loved it.

I beeped a quick thank-you to Tony and Beatrice before continuing to practice going up and down the ramp.

Bee watched as her experience reined in. Void flew down the ramp, and she earned a stupid amount of experience. Then it backed up the ramp, and she got a reduced but still staggering amount. It just kept zooming in circles, up and down, almost like a child rolling down a hill only to run to the top once again. It did this a few more times before she leveled up again.

Between the day shoveling guano yesterday and the ramp, she had shot up an absurd amount in levels. She only needed one more level to get her new class.

Turning to Tony, who was giggling watching Void roll up and down the ramp, she thanked him. "You don't know how much this is helping. Let's go set up a couple more, and that should push me over the edge."

They moved to the second set of stairs, which led from the plaza at the castle entrance down to the road leading out of the gates. However, shortly into the project they made an unfortunate realization. Neither of them were very skilled in carpentry. Tony had done some simple work on his family's farm, so they were not completely incompetent. However, it meant that they had massively underestimated the amount of wood needed.

Their logic had seemed fine at the time. They had estimated the slope of the stairs, then added a little for the stops underneath each ramp that rested on the stairs. Of course, some of the wood was twisted, and they broke some other pieces one way or another. This meant that they ran out of materials with only half of the ramp constructed. When they trudged back inside to find additional materials, they grabbed three times as much as they needed. Even with their inexperience, they hoped it would be more than enough.

As she looked over the stairs, Bee considered whether it was really a good idea to give Void access to the rest of the world. Ehhh, it's probably okay. She thought that it hadn't really shown any concern for the rest of the world outside the castle. In fact, Void seemed to prefer staying inside on the few occasions it had access to the world beyond. She wasn't sure how long that would last, though. No, the larger concern was whether the rest of the world was ready for Void.

Likely they weren't. Void didn't seem to harbor any intentional desire to harm anything, except for messes and maybe the cat. It seemed to have gotten over that last grudge, though, as she saw them interacting just fine the other day. She wasn't sure if Void was intentionally playing with the cat or not, but it sure seemed like it.

It didn't take long for her and Tony to finish setting up the ramp. Void kept them company, cleaning the little plateau area in front of the castle entrance. It seemed to be collecting a lot of dirt from between the stones. She just hoped that it would leave the mortar in place, so the structure would stay stable.

When they finished and Void rolled down the ramp, she finally got the notification she had been waiting for.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 25 REACHED. CHOOSE AN ADVANCED CLASS: PALADIN OF SPOT, PRIEST OF SPOT, HERETIC.

CHAPTER 75

PUREST OF INTENTIONS

Bee walked back to the library. She should have been elated to have reached level 25, and she was in a way. However, her options left an ashen taste in her mouth. The way they were formulated made her believe that these were the options that any Devotee got at level 25. That wasn't too disappointing. No, it was the fact that the system still recognized her master's name as "Spot" that didn't sit right with her.

It wasn't as much of a shock as it had been the first time. Bee had time to get used to her master's unfathomable power, after all, and the benevolence it had shown made the contrast a bit less jarring. But Void's repeated meddling with the system itself did still send a fresh spike of fear through her. Surely it would get tired of this joke eventually and let her know its true name.

When she arrived at the library, she browsed the shelves for a few books on advanced classes. The Devotee book she had first read when she picked this class hadn't mentioned the advanced class options, unfortunately, since it just covered the basics.

It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for. After spending so much time living here, she was coming to know these aisles like the back of her hand. Between How to Advance to an Advanced Class and What to Expect when Expecting to Advance, a pair of texts by the same author, she figured she had a good starting point.

The first bit of the book actually made her chuckle. It congratulated the reader for nearly making it to level 25 while still having the eyesight to read these words. The book was self-conscious of the fact that it was written for a very small audience. Usually people who leveled this high were being propped up by groups or guilds that knew what they were doing, after all. There weren't many individuals who leveled this well without having a clear life plan about it. It even made a joke about not being able to sell many copies, as there would be no one who needed to buy it.

Apparently, getting information about upper-level classes was difficult, as powerful people didn't like to share their secrets. However, the author had managed to pry enough out of the common classes that he claimed to be able to verify some of the information about the less common classes.

Devotee was one of the more typical classes, and it seemed that the three class offerings Bee had received would continue down that path: Paladin for physical builds, Priest for non-physical builds, and Heretic to leave the religion.

It seemed excessive to have to choose an advanced class to detach from a deity, but it was a difficult bond to break. Bee seriously considered it for a bit. She could choose that and run. She didn't think Void would come after her, and she wouldn't have to deal with the Lieutenant. However, when she truly considered it, she found that she didn't really want to leave.

Sure, her situation was scary and full of risk. She had been hurt more times than she wanted to count, and that wasn't any fun. Yet it gave her so much in return. Specifically, magic. It had taken a lot, but she had already learned so much about alchemy. In just a few months, she had more schooling than all but the most studious of the mages. Also, she couldn't just run away when one of humanity's greatest enemies was set to be loosed into the world. Even if she wasn't the best and brightest around, she couldn't just do nothing. She had to try. Especially because if the Lieutenant really was released, she and everyone else were probably dead anyway. Bee didn't want that on her conscience.

Sticking with Void seemed to be the best course of action. Of course, she was really starting to believe in the benevolence of the… Well, she didn't exactly have the words to describe her master. But it was powerful, more powerful than she had thought possible when she first met it. More than that, though, it was kind.

It shouldn't have been so hard of a choice. But intentionally choosing to submit her will to Void's was much harder than being forced to. That left only one more choice: Paladin or Priest?

While she had spent a little time in melee combat, she couldn't exactly say that she liked it. Fighting up close was still pretty terrifying and risky, considering that was where most of her injuries had come from. Also, her current melee weapon was still a broom. Sure, it was a pretty effective weapon against the skeletons, but that wouldn't last forever. She'd still keep her current abilities even without choosing Paladin. But the class would tend to give her more physical, melee, and likely broom-related skills in the future. Honestly, that was something that she could do without.

Priest was by far the best for her, she thought. It would lean into her alchemy, and it would also let her help others she was working with. She could only imagine it was just a matter of time before Void had other followers like her.

When she chose Priest, she got a message about a new class ability. Previously she would get experience in serving her master's ideals. That would still continue, but now she had the ability to offer anyone under level 15 a class change to Devotee of Spot.

It wasn't the same class that she had. Thankfully, she found some answers about what that meant. Devotee Converts, as they were called, would keep their previous skills, as well as continue to receive skills related to their original class. Moreover, they would get experience for following the teachings of their "religion" and still receive experience for some activities related to their original class, though details on that were sparse. The key thing was that any future skills would be heavily influenced by the principles of the object of their devotion.

The book gave an example of a Blacksmith that converted to worship a god of cooking. He apparently collected less experience for general forging and blacksmithing, but gained more for preparing meals or creating any knives or kitchen implements. Later, when he reached level 10, all of his skills were skewed toward the forging of kitchen accessories and tools as well.

It didn't seem like a bad deal, but there was a caveat. Apparently, Devotee Converts only received two skill options instead of three. It was a sacrifice that few would be willing to make, even for the increased experience options. Bee wondered if that was why she wasn't too familiar with Devotee Converts.

Some people might be willing to convert if the need was right. The class could level up incredibly fast under the right conditions. Bee wasn't sure that it would level at the same speed that hers did, but it would be close. She mulled over the implications of that knowledge.

After Bee had spent some time getting a handle on the ins and outs of the Priest-style class, she continued looking for ways to fight the Lieutenant. More and more, she was approaching the conclusion that she would have to come clean to Tony. If she was going to make her plans work, she would need his help.

The whole ramp ordeal showed her that she wouldn't be able to rig up half of the traps she imagined without help. Even with Tony, they would need to start now if she wanted to wake the demon up soon. And judging from the state of the flames on its arms, she had about a week to wake it up at its weakest state. If she woke it up any later, it might still be less fearsome than if she let it wake naturally, but that might still be more than she could handle.

She sighed. Even as it was now, this might be more than she could handle. Bee looked at her list of the things she needed to do in preparation for the awakening. The concoctions that she needed to wake it were unstable and needed to be the last thing she made. Other than that, there were a lot of buffing potions she could use, as well as a ton of demonsbane that she would need to synthesize. On top of figuring out the delivery systems.

With time ticking away, Bee sat down and got to work.

I knew that Beatrice had gone back inside and Tony had gone back to his gardens, but I for once didn't feel the need to follow. For the most part, Beatrice had done much better at staying out of trouble, and I believed that I could let her be alone for a few hours without getting too hurt.

No, I had much more important things to do. I turned around at the beginning of the entry hall and rolled down the first ramp again. It was an exhilarating feeling, and I relished the 45.6-degree slope beneath my wheels. I had so much more freedom.

Of course, my freedom came at a slight price. I now had access to the outside. I was still coming to terms with the world of dirt that existed beyond the walls of civilization. Was it my responsibility to fix this issue? Or was it something that just…was? I considered how much dirt was contained just inside the outer wall of the castle.

That was a consideration I could wrap my processor around. It was a huge amount, one that made my bristles quiver, but something I could comprehend. With that understanding, I thought through a plan to clean it. It would take…a really long time.

Beyond just taking a long time, I noticed a few other issues. First, the unmoving plants used as human food lived in the dirt. That was a worrisome issue itself, since it seemed like the dirt might be important to the cultivation process somehow. Second, the dirt supported the castle walls. If there was no dirt underneath them, they would simply collapse.

Okay, so I couldn't remove all the dirt from inside the castle walls. As I pondered this moral quandary, I slowly rolled down the second ramp. This ramp led down to a cobblestone path that went straight through a set of gates in the outer wall. What if, instead of trying to fix everything, I start by just making it better? Yeah, I thought I could manage that.

So my next problem to solve was what "better" looked like. I could try to remove the dirt on the path. But I couldn't remove all of it; some of it acted as mortar and held the stones in place. If I couldn't remove all the dirt, could I remove some of it? Yes, yes, I could.

I could remove all the dirt on top of the stones. That seemed simple enough. Any dirt on top of stones that should be able to be walked upon could be removed. That seemed like something I could manage. At the bottom of the ramp, I looked out over the path and calculated its surface area. I then turned and went back up the ramp.

That was still a lot of area. I spent the trip up the pair of ramps calculating the best path and determining how to best limit myself to only collect the dirt I wanted. I would have to make multiple passes and constrain my area of effect, as I didn't have enough confidence in controlling my Air Affinity skill yet.

On the way down the ramp, I did my best to psyche myself up for cleaning the outside. When I first came to this castle, the challenge of cleaning the whole thing was much further beyond my abilities than cleaning this small little bit of the outside was now. Why did I not falter then, but have such apprehension now?

I wasn't sure. It probably had to do with considering the bigger picture. Previously I could just do the task in front of me, and the rest would work itself out. Now that I knew the humans here were fallible, I needed to be much more careful. Yes, that was the only reason. After all, there was no reason to be afraid of the outside.

I exited the ramp, and this time, I didn't turn around. I kept going, maybe a little bit faster than was strictly necessary, but I needed to do this. I made it to the end of the half-mile path in a little less than a minute. I turned around and repeated the path in reverse, just a few feet to the left. Overall, it only took me a few passes to get a clean path.

Looking back, I could see the cobblestones. They glistened with a near-polished surface. I was satisfied—this was worth doing. Now our castle looked to be an inviting, well-maintained home. Perhaps we would even have guests soon.

It was only after I finished studying my work that I remembered what brooms were for. I didn't really need to consume all the dust now sitting in my dustbin. I could have simply relocated it off to the side into the grass. That would have been much easier. With a mental sigh, I made a note to remember that, for the most part, outside cleaning was more about relocating dirt than removing it. After all, the dirt inside was usually just moved outside. Though if I had the ability to store it all… Well, I had done enough thinking on the nature of dirt for one day.

CHAPTER 76

CLEARING THE AIR

We all gathered in the library. It was not something that we usually did during the day. Normally we would all be going about our jobs, making sure everything was maintained. But Beatrice had something that she needed to tell us.

She and Tony sat across from each other at one of the tables while I rested a little off to the side. "I'm sorry, Tony. I haven't told you the full truth of everything that is going on here. But it's gotten to the point where I have to come clean."

I always liked that turn of phrase. It was tasteful. Beatrice gave Tony a second to process the information, but he didn't seem to need it. Waiting patiently, Tony just nodded for her to continue. I was also curious to hear what Tony didn't know. I mean, given my previous misunderstandings, maybe it was something that I didn't know either.

Drawing in a big breath, Beatrice started. "You know the myths? The ones about the ancient demons and their war with the gods? Well, they are real. More real than I would like. The mages found something here. The main purpose of this castle was to keep it contained, but when the mages all ran away, no one was here to maintain the containment, and now it's close to getting out."

Beatrice breathed back in. It was quite an impressive suction for someone so small. Perhaps her own vacuum was improving from her training? Anyway, it seemed that there was at least one more type of mess maker that was going to cause more issues. Likely one that I had let out. What could I do about that?

In a rush, Beatrice continued laying out what was going on. "The power of the containment fades over time and needs to be replaced regularly. I didn't have the skill to replace it when I first found it, and now I don't have the time. If left alone for long enough, the one that's here—the Lieutenant—would wake normally, but it wasn't left alone. Its suppression circles were broken early."

I was glad that she wasn't blaming me. I really hadn't known what would happen when I was cleaning that room. I had just wanted to clear that beautiful floor of all the chalk. Oh how naive I was. But it was also nice to hear that my mistake wasn't too serious, if it was going to happen anyway. It was just going to be a bit sooner.

"My theory is that either Void wanted to test me, or it wanted to fight the Lieutenant itself," Beatrice continued.

Never mind. She just threw me under the bus like that.

Neither of those things was true. I just didn't know what the lines were for! But it was fine. She could think what she wanted. Her opinion of me was still way too high, but I didn't see any real way or reason to correct her.

Beatrice paused, seemingly waiting for a response. I turned to Tony to see what he thought. In contrast to Beatrice's tense, white-knuckled posture, Tony seemed to be much more relaxed. In fact, the emotional models I had been working on seemed to indicate that he was perplexed and maybe slightly amused. He looked down at me, and with a tone that people usually only talk to puppies with, said "Which one is it, little guy? Do you want to fight the big bad evil? Or do you want Bee to get big and strong, test herself and hone her skills?"

Neither! He ignored my agitated wiggling and reached over to give me a few gentle pats. Fine, I guessed it was alright. But I was glad he wasn't taking the news too seriously. That meant it wasn't as big of a deal after all. Tony was a more mature human and seemed pretty responsible, even if he did like to play in the dirt all day. I wouldn't trust him like I would one of my humans from back home, but surely he knew what he was talking about, right?

Beatrice's face reddened. "I don't think you are going to believe me until you see for yourself." She stood from her chair and made her way toward the door. "Come on, follow me."

Tony sighed, standing to follow her. "It's not that I don't believe you, exactly. This just seems a bit extreme. If there's something you're afraid of around here, I get that. I can do my best to help. But you don't have to go telling me fairy tales to make me believe it. You know?"

Oh no, I thought. If Tony just didn't believe her, then his actions made a lot more sense. This might have been more serious than I was hoping. We followed Beatrice through the halls to one of the lesser demon storage rooms. Tony looked around curiously at the cages as we walked through to the back. "What was stored here?"

"Just some lesser demons. Summoning was easier here because of the ambient demonic aura. The mages took advantage of it as much as they could. I think they were studying suppression degradation near powerful aura sources," Beatrice replied absently.

The taller human stopped. Bee looked back at him questioningly. She had to grab Tony's sleeve to drag him the rest of the way through.

"You are serious! Wait, I thought you were joking, but you're serious?" he yelped as he was pulled off-balance by her strength.

"Why would you think I'm not being serious?" Beatrice asked, puzzled. I mean, I knew that she was being serious, but even I had trouble believing her. I zipped around the two humans, skirting around one of the tables to reach the door in the back. The door leading to one of my favorite rooms. There was only one way to really clear this up, I thought.

"Well, I don't know! Maybe 'cause they're myths!" Tony almost shouted. "Those are stories that my ma used to scare me into behaving when I was a child!"

"How did you think I felt when I came face-to-face with it?" Beatrice had a strange look on her face now. I really wasn't sure what to make of that one. "My mother did the same. When Void showed…" Beatrice trailed off. Tony was clearly no longer paying attention. Instead, he was looking over her shoulder through the door I had opened.

I wasn't sure what the humans could see from their much higher angle. Only the top of the cage was visible from my position a few inches off the floor, though my proximity sensors could pick up the rest of the shape as well. Tony walked forward in a daze. Beatrice moved out of his way as he stumbled slightly through the door. Right before the beautiful floor, he stopped, presumably because he was unwilling to mar the perfect floor. At least, that's what I liked to think. With a quick wisp of air, I made sure his boots were clean.

"Well, I'll be damned. That's…that's Nazareth'gak," Tony muttered under his breath.

It had taken Tony several hours to be even remotely okay. Bee was frustrated with the delay, as they really didn't have much time to waste. They needed to wake the Lieutenant soon if they wanted to fight it at its weakest. However, she understood. It had taken her several days to get over this, and it wasn't fair to rush him along.

Still, they needed to get moving. Sitting in the library, Void absently cleared the room as Tony had his worldview adjusted. Bee, though, was waiting to explain the rest of the situation. "There is nothing we can do to prevent his awakening. If I started drawing now, I wouldn't finish the containment in time, even if I managed to do it perfectly. The only thing we can do is choose when to fight him."

Tony nodded, only half listening. Still, she continued. "If I wake him in the next three days, that will be when he is at his weakest. Waiting any longer, he will gain strength exponentially. I also will need a day to prepare the awakening reagents."

Nodding again, Tony's eyes focused on her. "Why can't we get help from the kingdom?"

"There's no time. It would take too long to get there and back, assuming any of the mages are still nearby, and that they believe me about the risk, and that they're not too terrified of Void to return, and that we can bring anyone back who's remotely qualified to deal with this." Bee wasn't entirely certain about any of that, but it was the easiest explanation, and she had already answered this question three times in the last hour.

Tony numbly nodded again. Bee sighed. They weren't making much progress; it was time to change up the script a bit. She had a big ask of Tony, and if that didn't shock him back to reality, he probably wouldn't be able to help her much. "So I reached level 25 not that long ago. My new class came with a perk, one that I think might help us in our current situation. You might not like it but hear me out."

Seeing that Tony seemed to actually be listening to her for the first time, she decided to go on. Though she wasn't sure if the lack of reaction to her inconceivable level was a good sign. "I chose Priest of Spot—"

"Wait, who is Spot?" Tony blurted out.

Bee sighed; at least he was listening, she thought. "It means Void—my master is powerful enough to trick the system and change its own name."

Tony looked at her in disbelief. "That's not possible. How do you know Spot isn't his name?"

She still hadn't revealed that she had received Scan at level 1. If she didn't have to, she wouldn't. It was one thing to trust him with her levels, but Scan was something else. So she had to come up with a lie. "When I chose to be its Devotee, it…it told me its name."

Void beeped loudly and indignantly from the corner of the room. It clearly wasn't happy about the lie, and she cringed, waiting to be smitten for her transgression. Thankfully, nothing happened.

"Are you sure he's just not named Spot? I don't think I've ever heard him communicate with actual words."

Bee scowled. "Well, Void can read. So I'm sure it can write too. If it wants to." Bee put extra emphasis on its name. "Besides, you still haven't seen what it's capable of. There is no way that a being this powerful has a name like Spot. Besides, that's not even my main point."

Tony looked unconvinced but let the matter drop. With that issue past, Bee continued explaining what she wanted to do. "So I have the ability to offer a class change to anyone under level 10."

Bee waited for Tony to say something, but he bit his tongue, so she continued. "There are a lot of advantages to this class. That's the only reason I would recommend it. The first would be the leveling speed. By following Void, I got to level 25 in just a few months."

She stopped to let that sink in. "Devotee classes award bonus experience for serving the ideals of their god. Apparently, Void is a godling that hates stairs and values cleanliness. If we leverage that, then we might be able to get you a lot of levels in the little time we have to prepare."

Void let out a beep of agreement from under the librarian's desk, where it was cleaning the delicate scrollwork with a rag in its extendable arm. Bee explained how the class worked, the pros and cons, how Tony would still get farming-related skills. "It's a bit more restrictive. But the skills I have gotten so far are either rare or effective, if unconventional. Ordinarily, if you didn't already have a class, I would recommend becoming a Devotee the normal way. But in this case… I'm sorry, but I don't think that you being a low-leveled farmer will really help stop the apocalypse."

Bee really did feel bad putting this all on Tony. When they first met, he had been so excited about being a farmer. She wouldn't claim to understand it, but to each his own.

"I'm going to need a minute to process this," Tony said in a wooden voice. Bee leaned back. As he spent more and more time thinking, she got up and picked up a book that detailed common adventurer fighting tactics against strong demons. She had already started preparing as much demonsbane as she possibly could. It had wiped out a large portion of the castle's stores, but she didn't think it would be anywhere near enough.

This book had some other really good ideas for traps too, especially ones that were useful for an initial assault. The schematics for a full ballista with a poison arrow tip was also interesting. Her thoughts began to drift, formulating how to get a bunch of them to fire at once when Tony spoke up.

"Okay, what do I need to do?"

Bee looked up. There was a look of steely resolve in Tony's eyes. She expected to see something else—regret, maybe, or anger that she had dragged him into this. But determination was all she found.

"You are good to go through with it?" Bee wanted to confirm. At his sharp nod, she activated her skill. It sent him a prompt asking if he would take the class Devotee of Spot.

Tony took a deep breath, then accepted. When he did, Bee gained a level.

CHAPTER 77

OPERATION S.P.O.T.: OPERATION SHOOT AND POTION OBVIOUS THREATS

I finished cleaning the undersides of all the tables in the library. It wasn't really necessary, but I really didn't have anything else to do while Beatrice and Tony finished going through Tony's class change. Apparently, it was a complicated process, but it didn't seem relevant to me.

Eventually, they both stood up, Tony's shoulders 4.5 percent more square than before. Tony went out in the hall, muttering something about finding a shovel. Beatrice walked over and sat on the ground in front of me. "Master, I wanted to ask about your plans for when the Lieutenant awakens."

I was not very capable of talking, but I would give my best effort. I tried to convey that sentiment to her in a series of beeps.

Beatrice nodded, and I think she understood as she continued on with her questions. "How much do you want me to do? I am still not sure if you intended on me taking care of it myself, if you wanted the fight for yourself, or somewhere in between."

I wasn't sure how to answer that. It wasn't like I had a plan for any of this. Seeing my lack of an answer, Beatrice took it as a chance to explain her thoughts more.

"Of course, if you want, I will do my best to handle things. I am just not at all confident in taking on something that is at least 40 levels higher than me. Even if we manage to get Tony to level 20, I don't think it will make that much of a difference. As you know, levels without combat experience don't mean too much. If I hadn't spent so much time fighting lesser demons or skeletons, I would be pretty useless myself," Beatrice elaborated. "I think that was how I got any skills that were combat-related, even tangentially."

I still wasn't sure how to answer. I tried to give her a reassuring note, but it didn't feel like enough.

Beatrice appeared to agree as her face became stricken and 60 percent paler. "I…I understand, Master. I will do my best. If I fall, I can only beg that you step in and…save humanity from this threat. Please."

No, no, no. That wasn't what I meant. I let out a couple of panicked beeps. I would be there to help. I just didn't think that I would be able to do much, either. Sure, I was more combat-capable than her, but from what I had heard, this mess maker was scary. I was relieved that she seemed to understand this time.

"I would be glad to accept any help you are willing to give," Beatrice said, some color returning to her face. I still didn't think she fully understood. As long as she would try her best, though, that would have to do.

I was ecstatic. Ever since Tony had gotten his new class, he had been building ramps all over the castle. He wasn't nearly as excited about it as I was, but still. I couldn't stop myself from constantly rolling up and down the last one he built. At least, not until the next one was finished. I was able to access the whole castle at this point, but still, he didn't stop.

It was convenient for me and gave me much more efficient paths around. However, I was still worried. Beatrice hadn't left the library in days, only occasionally popping out to gather supplies. Tony had also barely charged at all. I could tell that he was not running on a full battery, but nonetheless, they kept pushing on.

When Tony mentioned that he hit level 10, the strategy was clear to me. Still, I felt bad, as I wasn't able to help in any meaningful way. I didn't have much ability to prepare for anything like this ahead of time. Alchemy was not in my skill set. As for increasing my personal power like Tony was, that wasn't feasible either. Cleaning simple stains gave me experience, but I could feel that it was barely anything compared to what I would need to level again, let alone to what I would need to get my next mutation. At least, that was what I could gather according to my best estimates.

Also, there were no tough opponents for me to fight. I considered transmuting the demons and skeletons I still had in my dustbin, but I was saving those for when I needed them. It didn't take time to do, so it seemed wasteful now. Also, after going through my memories, I noticed how the things I absorbed seemed to come out much stronger somehow.

First was the rodent. Second was the two demons I had used to distract the skeletons. That wasn't quite enough information to pull a coherent trend or make any real conclusions, but I did think that waiting longer could help me get more information. For now, the only thing useful I came up with was being a certified ramp tester. A responsibility I tackled with absolute gusto.

Bee peered through her blurry eyes at the potion she was brewing. Now that Tony had reached level 10, she needed to make some of the lesser healing potions, as they might actually be worth it. If only he had received a better skill. It was to be expected that he wouldn't be offered a combat skill as he had only built ramps, but Interior Construction wasn't really a winner. Still, the other option, Ramp Master, just wasn't viable.

Still, it wasn't all bad; once he finished harvesting all the easy experience, he would start setting up ballistae. With his new skill, it might help his productivity a little. It was a stretch in her mind, but Tony seemed to be confident that the traps and defenses would be included under its purview.

Bee had wanted to take the experience from the ramps for herself, but she just didn't have time. Besides, Tony needed it more. She consoled herself by remembering that there were diminishing returns. Especially once the castle was fully accessible. Still, the gains were irresistible.

The work she was doing was decent for experience, but it wasn't going to make much of a difference in time. She had just finished another dissolution potion. It was one that her Divine Alchemy applied to. It gave her a bit more yield from each batch and slightly more experience from making it. Placing the flask next to all the pouches of the demonsbane she had already prepared, she got to work making another batch before realizing that she had run out of flasks.

Moving her equipment off the heat, she darted upstairs to one of the labs to gather more supplies. Rushing up the nearest spiral stairs, she almost ran headfirst into Tony. Only her incredible reflexes prevented her from bowling him over. It looked like he was building a spiraling ramp down the staircase. It didn't seem to be going very well.

"What's the rush?" she heard him call up after her.

Without stopping, she called back. "Ran out of flasks."

A second later, he joined her, running up the stairs. "I'll help you carry more."

She nodded her thanks. He just shrugged. "Anything is a good break from building more ramps. The spiral ones are just a bunch of small ones, but they need to line up perfectly. I don't think I could do it without Interior Construction."

"How close are you to 15?" Bee asked. It was slightly rude, but she needed to plan for how much he would be able to do. Tony didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

"13!" he answered in an eager voice. "I can't believe I've more than doubled my level since I met you. At this rate, I'm going to be at a higher level than my da when I get home."

Bee didn't say it out loud, but if Tony made it through the coming conflict, she'd be shocked if he didn't rocket right past the level 24 Trent. Just the fight with the Lieutenant alone would give him a lot of experience. But if he also kept helping Void out, there would be no way that he wouldn't keep leveling. Between the two of them, they would be a force to be reckoned with if they survived the week.

That would hopefully be something that would never matter in normal life, but seeing what had happened with the adventurers that had attacked her, she had her doubts. They might still be seen as a threat by the mages who had fled. Hopefully, letting that woman go would earn them some goodwill, but Bee doubted it would matter. The mages would only stay away for so long.

They must have plans to come to fight Nazareth'gak. If only they would get here sooner… But they couldn't know it would be freed so quickly.

They dashed into one of the labs that she hadn't already picked clean. She started rifling through the cabinets and pulling anything that could hold a potion. There was a chance that she was going a little overboard. The odds of her being able to use all these were very slim. She really should've been throwing out the older ones that were brewed when she was less skilled. But at this point, Bee would take what she could get.

Tony came back with a few cases that they loaded up and brought back to the library.

"After I finish with this stairwell, I'm going to start trying to build the ballistae. Still haven't figured out how to get them all to fire at once. But If I get more than three set up, I can start working on it," Tony updated Bee on the way down.

"That's probably fine. I'm not certain how long it will take for it to be vulnerable, and it wouldn't be a good idea to waste more than we need. Especially if reloading is going to be difficult," Bee responded.

"Difficult? Probably not, but it will take some time," Tony said thoughtfully. "I think it's a fair assumption that we won't have time to reload unless we hit it too early. Actually, I might make the loading mechanism with that in mind. The design would take a really long time to load but will be quicker to make. I'll make one with quick loading… We can fire test shots at the Lieutenant with that one."

Bee just nodded. It made sense to her.

The rest of the days passed too quickly. Bee spent the entire time making potions and other defensive measures, only sleeping when her body forced her to. Right before she intended to start the series of concoctions to wake up the Lieutenant and start the fight, Tony insisted that she sleep and go outside for a bit.

"Based on what you've told me, it's gonna be a hard enough fight as is." Tony gently pulled her to her feet and ushered her toward the door. "We need to be in tip-top shape, both of us. Plus, you've already prepped plenty. I dunno if a couple more potions or powder satchels will make a big difference now."

His argument was compelling. They couldn't afford any mistakes tomorrow. So after they dropped crates of various countermeasures in Nazareth'gak's room and through various retreat points, she stumbled her way outside. Tony left her with Void, moving to finish setting up another oversized crossbow in a hall that was being treated as a backup retreat route.

She stepped carefully down the stairs, blinking repeatedly and trying to relax a bit. Her brow had become perpetually furrowed over the past few days, her time spent with eyes narrowed and squinting at beakers and scales. Void trundled down the ramp next to her. Bee cracked open the castle's front door and slipped out.

The fresh, cool air hit her, and she breathed it in. It was nighttime outside. The quarter-moon shone brightly down from a clear sky, illuminating her surroundings only a tiny bit. It was amazing how much she had missed this. Looking up at the stars that glittered cheerfully above, she thought back to another time, so far away now, when she had laid in the grass with her mother and gazed up like this. The memory was bittersweet now.

Sometime later, she and Void retreated back inside. It was almost time. She would get to bed, sleep for longer than she had in months, make the last few unstable waking potions, and then everything would start. On the way to the stairs, though, something caught Bee's eye. She tilted her head and examined the recessed hallway that housed the catacombs' entrance. The door appeared to be open.

She wondered when Tony had done that. She was glad he hadn't gone inside, at least. They might not have been able to get to him in time if he had.

Bee shrugged and took a couple of steps over to close the door, then made her way back upstairs. Tomorrow was the big day, and she sure hoped she was ready.

CHAPTER 78

A MESSY SITUATION

Bee gathered the last of her materials and walked to the Lieutenant's room. Void and Tony were already in position. At least, Tony was. Void, well, she wasn't sure what it was doing, as it just seemed to be following Tony around recently. So she hoped it would at least be in the room for this. When things went wrong, maybe it would save the day.

She truly believed that her master would be powerful enough to take care of things itself. She just hoped that it would be motivated enough to act. Though she didn't really have any evidence of it being callous or anything, it still hadn't given her a definitive answer about whether it would step in against the demon. To be fair, she had only asked it directly once.

That hadn't stopped her from trying to bring it up in conversation. However, the only response that Void gave was ambiguous. Her best interpretation of the sounds it made was, "I will do what I can."

While that was comforting to hear, it was worrying that it didn't outright promise help.

Bee entered the room with the Lieutenant. Inside she found Tony fiddling with the last of the eight ballistae that he had rigged up. Earlier today, she had tipped the points with a potent poison that one book claimed worked against archdemons. No one had really tried it on much higher-level test subjects than that, so she could only pray they'd still be effective here.

"Are we ready?" Bee called as she set her burden down. She started pulling out bags of powders and flinging them into the cage. The powders drifted through the air briefly before they were pulled into the living flames of the statue.

"We have one testing shot ready; I can fire it every thirty seconds to see when it's vulnerable. Then the other seven will take a couple of minutes to reload. I don't imagine that it'll be so patient, so we better make those shots count," Tony said, checking over things one more time.

"Get ready to fire a test shot and start reloading on my mark," Bee said, trying to calm her racing heart. "Once we confirm that it can penetrate, fire the array. Then you go out the east door, and I go out the west. We have other ballistae waiting. Fire and retreat. If it goes after the other one of us, circle around and try to help. You have your demonsbane?"

Tony just grunted. They had gone over the plan a dozen times by now. He didn't seem calm, exactly, but he did look a lot more put together than Bee felt. His hands were barely even shaking.

Bee took a deep breath and steadied her own nerves. This was it. This was the moment she had been working toward. She had to make this work. For herself. For Tony. For Tony's family and everyone else nearby. Bee flung the last potion toward the demonic figure, not bothering to uncork the flask. It shattered in the face of Nazareth'gak, and she shouted, "Now!"

Tony fired their test ballista as she ran to her station. As soon as the bolt was in the air, they each downed a set of potions to increase their speed, strength, and durability for a short while. She had tied a rope to the ceiling above the cage and a huge flask on the other end. It should act like a pendulum and break upon the demon's face. The large glass was filled with slowing potions. Not because she thought those would do the most damage, but because they were the only useful thing that she could make enough of on such a short timeline. Hopefully it would help them outrun the thing.

Name: Nazareth'gak, Race: Lieutenant Demon, Class Type: Torture, Level: 70, Status: Awakening.

Since she'd reached level 25, her Scan had grown much more powerful. Now it was able to give her the level of the Lieutenant Demon. Which was terrifying. It wasn't quite in the realm of the gods, but it was at least nine levels higher than the king's champion, and he was nearly 220 years old.

Regardless, that was the best humanity could offer, and he had been training his whole life. She didn't imagine that he would have a chance in a fair fight against Nazareth'gak. The differences in power between levels only increased as the levels did.

As she got into position, she saw that the first bolt had just bounced off. Tony wound the crank furiously, trying to get the next shot loaded as soon as he could. But before he could fire it, she checked with Scan again. The new Status field hadn't changed from Awakening.

"Hold, wait for my signal," she called. Tony thankfully didn't waste another shot. They only had two more bolts that were poisoned other than the ones loaded in the array, and she didn't want to run out.

It was a tense couple of minutes as she checked Scan repeatedly. She kept an eye on the demon's appearance but kept her focus on the Scan results. Eventually, the status field changed from "Awakening" to "Groggy."

"Now!"

This time the arrow sunk into dark flesh.

I could sense the energy coming from the big demon statue fluctuate. Right when it reached its peak, I knew it was waking. Somehow Beatrice knew it too. She called out again, and Tony let fly with his second shot. This time the head of the bolt sunk in.

It didn't go far in, just enough for the barbs to catch. It then fell down, pulling the skin with it. The demon was starting to regain color. It started with the flames licking along its arms. They never stopped moving, but they went from the slate gray of the rest of the statue to more vivid reds and blues.

The horns stayed the same gray color, but slowly the skin deepened into a reddish-brown hue. The pose hadn't changed yet. Tony started loading the ballista again. It was a risky move. But he explained himself. "I think it was stone under the skin. I'm going to try again."

Somehow he was moving even faster than his last reload. I simply waited with Beatrice until Tony fired. This time the arrow went several inches deeper. It must have hit something more solid, as it stuck out straight rather than sagging like the last one. Beatrice waited a bit more.

My internal clock told me that only thirteen more seconds had passed, but it sure felt like a lot more. After those thirteen seconds, one of the statue's fingers twitched. As soon as she saw movement, Beatrice released her giant glass ball. It swung toward the cage right for the demon's face.

The swing took it between two bars of the cage, but it slightly clipped the one on the left. The glass shattered, and the liquid sprayed all over the demon with 71.2 percent efficiency. At the same time, Tony launched the other seven bolts. Each penetrated deep into the side of the demon.

The demon came alive with a deep, bellowing roar. The whole room vibrated with the sheer volume of it, shattering the glass lamps around the room into pieces. The area was plunged into the darkness except for the glowing fires burning on the demon's shoulders and down his arms. Huge hands reached for the cage, and with slow pressure, it ripped the bars apart.

As soon as the bars left the hands of the demon, they flew off to the side, embedding themselves in the far walls. It was too much for the structure of the cage, and it just fell apart as the demon took a single step out of captivity. Slowly it grabbed one of the arrows sticking into its side and ripped it out. A disturbingly soft chuckle escaped its inhuman lips.

Its arm flashed as it hurled the bolt at Tony. Luckily, Tony was sticking to the plan and was already diving through the east door. The bolt punched through the stone like it was drywall. As it shattered the rock, a portion of the wall crumpled, and a shower of debris flew out of the other side. Tony was right beneath it but seemed to be okay. I watched with my sensors as he scrambled down the hall to his next position.

Then the demon turned to run at Beatrice. It wasn't moving nearly as slowly now, but I still had no trouble tracking it. Beatrice was much faster than Tony but hesitated as the cage shattered. She was moving fast, but not that fast. For the first time, I needed to act.

My front bumper began to glow. A thin line of bluish-purple energy shot out faster than the eye could see, and the Sanitation Lamp's beam struck the demon right in its eyes. That seemed to get its attention. It growled, apparently annoyed, as it raised its arm to take the hit there instead. It then stopped chasing after Beatrice, having only taken a few steps, and turned to face me.

I started to zip around the edges of the room as it chased me. In the background I noticed the newly freed mess makers from the lamps disappear into my dustbin. While I was avoiding getting crushed by the stampeding demon, I was also trying to get in as much damage from my lamp as I could. I tried to focus it on the wounds in its body, and when it moved to cover the area, I shined it back up on its face. It really didn't like the light in its eyes. Despite my best efforts, though, the light didn't really slow it down.

I still had a speed advantage but only barely, and it was shrinking. Each charge was getting closer and closer to me. However, as it got faster, it seemingly lost some of its ability to pivot. Using my Air Affinity abilities, I fished out the glass bottles that Beatrice had stored in a crate over her position. Flinging them at the pursuing demon, they shattered on contact.

Sometimes it flinched. Sometimes it slowed down for a fraction of a second. It only took a dozen seconds and a single lap before I ran out of ammo. There were a couple of bags of demonsbane in my reach, but I couldn't use them immediately. I couldn't just toss those as they were, and it cost me concentration to untie them with the air.

I barely avoided a fist smashing down where I was. To my horror, the perfect floor shattered in a small crater around the fist, and I was sprayed with broken shards of glass. But once I had the pouches open, I sent the powder forth with streams of air.

When it first made contact, I heard the sizzling. Instead of this just being a powder floating in the air that could be easily blown away or avoided, I held the substance against the demon's skin until it no longer burned it. Then I replaced it with fresh stuff. As it charged it again, it began laughing. Still, I didn't stop.

Soon I would run out of powder, but it seemed to be doing damage. Not a lot, no, but between that and the lamp, I was able to hold its attention. Eventually, it seemed to tire of the game of chase. Even as it continuously sped up, I was still able to avoid it.

Soon, it stopped running after me and simply walked back to the center of the room, where it grabbed a metal bar from the scrap pile that had once been its cage. I took advantage of the reprieve to consider my options. My Mop and Grabby Arm both didn't seem useful here. Maybe I could go get one of them and…

The demon stood and flung one of the metal bars at me faster than I would have thought possible.

Bee cursed at herself for freezing as she ran toward her next position. Her slowing potion hadn't done anything. Well, it had probably saved Tony, but it was so much less than she had hoped. Even supremely slowed and with nine siege weapons sticking out of it, Nazareth'gak was only barely inconvenienced.

She had hoped to do more before it moved. Already she had to leave behind weapons unused. Maybe her master would make use of them. Its beam attack was the only reason that she managed to get away. She sprinted to the end of the hallway toward a mounted ballista with a poisoned tip.

She had little hope for it, but she adjusted its aim up slightly. Maybe a shot to the face would have more of an impact.

CHAPTER 79

A DANCE OF DISINFECTANT

Harold was unbelievably frustrated. He had spent the entire trip from Greg trying to warn the rest of the expedition about the ill omens that he and Wallace had gotten out of Patricia. So far, it had all been for naught. They refused to listen to the ramblings of a madwoman.

Sure, there was no denying that Patricia was mad. Stark raving mad, in fact. But that didn't just happen to people for no reason. Something caused her mind to break like that. Something that she remembered and had done her best to warn them about.

He had stayed an extra day to give her as much attention as he possibly could. Healing magic wasn't his field of study, but he wasn't useless, and he had more experience dealing with demon encounters than most people alive. Despite all that, there was little he could do.

Maladies of the mind were fickle things even at the best of times. When there were demons involved, everything just became much more complicated. After spending a day questioning her and giving her medicine, he took an extra horse and galloped after the army to catch up. He'd arrived only a day out of the castle.

Harold had brought news for them, but he wasn't sure it would be enough warning. Things were going to get complicated. It would be difficult to keep the Lieutenant a secret while still making sure that the castle was cleared of danger. That was even assuming the best-case scenario, that the unclassified demon had since left.

He doubted they would be that lucky. More likely, the summoned demon was still there. Judging based on Patricia's testimony, the entire expedition would be hard-pressed to defeat it. The absolute worst-case scenario was that the summoned demon had freed the Lieutenant already.

Of course, the Lieutenant would be freed soon if not properly contained again almost immediately. But without intervention, they'd still have an extra month to try and reverse the fallout while it regained its strength.

Harold was hesitant to give the army commanders that level of information, but he was at his wit's end. He left out some details, of course, evasively stating that there were demons held in the castle. Even that might have been more than he should have said, but this was his last chance to convince them to take the threat more seriously. They were right outside the walls trying to figure out how to best scout out the castle. At this point. Harold had no more time.

It was a contentious debate about what to do next in the command tent. All sides were getting pretty heated about the demon topic when one of the officers yelled, "Come on! That's not going to happen!"

All heads turned to the officer. Even his second-in-command glared at him. Harold had no idea what had so convinced the man the demons wouldn't free each other. He tried to defend himself. "Everyone knows they are no worse than bears. More afraid of us than we are of them."

When this garnered a round of even more incredulous stares, the man started to wilt. The commander roared at him. "Where in the five realms did you hear that? That's the dumbest crock of nonsense I have ever heard in my life!"

"Well, that's what my nan said," the man mumbled.

"Get out!" the commander shouted, spittle flying from his lips.

"My father will hear—"

"I don't care. Out!" As the man scurried out of the tent, the commander muttered. "Fool had probably never even seen a bear. 'More afraid of us,' my boots."

When the commander turned to Harold, he seemed much more ready to hear the mage out. He briefly rubbed his forehead before continuing. "I'm sorry about the imbecile. His first campaign. You were saying?"

Harold, though, was no longer listening. He was listening to something else, a distant sound that had been masked by the argument. The blood had all drained from his face. In a panicked whisper, he responded, "We were too late…"

I was able to dodge the first few projectiles, but the demon wasn't dumb. It started throwing them ahead of and behind me too. With some help from my predictive modeling, I was able to avoid each one, but by the time I realized the game it was playing, it was already too late. It had forced me further and further away from the doors.

When I was darting between two of the twisted metal bars with no escape, it threw a handful more at me. I was able to dodge all but one. But one was all it took.

A rod of metal slammed into my side, cracking my plastic shell. The force sent me flying into the wall behind. The stone gave way from the sheer impact, but strangely I didn't feel like I had taken too much more damage. I hung there, hurt and embedded in the wall, unable to even direct my Sanitation Lamp at my foe. The demon didn't chase after me to finish me off. Instead, it raced out the door that Beatrice had retreated through.

Frantically, I spun my wheels, trying to get out. But I was stuck in the wall with no traction, and they just whirred uselessly under me. Popping out my arm and directing my energy toward repairs, I began to wiggle myself free.

Bee stood panting at the ballista, trying to get her heart rate under control. The commotion from the room before her was intense. The struggle was going on for much longer than she and Tony had been able to delay it.

Of course, all things couldn't last, and she heard pounding steps as it charged through the door across from her. As it appeared, she watched it trigger a hidden tripwire. A woodcutter's axe released from where it had been positioned, swinging down at the demon. The blade just bounced off its arm. It kept barreling ahead, barely noticing the makeshift caltrops and obstacles she had set along the path. Cursing under her breath, Bee adjusted her aim slightly and fired. Before even seeing her shot hit home, she turned, sprinting into the main hall and toward the main door.

Tony should already have moved to the third fallback station.

I was finally able to pop myself out of the stone wall. It had only taken 4.6 seconds, but that felt like years. As I landed on the ground, I used Air Affinity to ensure that I landed wheels-down at top speed, racing after the demon. It wasn't going to get to Beatrice if I could help it.

As I rounded the corner, I saw the demon pulling a huge spike out of its face. Taking advantage of its distraction, I got in as close as I dared and sprayed my most corrosive cleaner at it. I did my best to concentrate all of the liquid onto its right foot. If I could slow it down as much as possible, that should make it easier for my humans to contribute more.

The liquid bubbled as it made contact, causing the demon to look around in confusion. It locked its eyes on me, and my sensors registered a hole in its right cheek where it had just pulled the barbed bolt from. It seemed that Beatrice had gotten lucky with her last shot.

Not seeing her around, I assumed she managed to get away, and I geared up for round two. Concentrating on my lamp, I changed strategies. Instead of aiming for its eyes again, I stayed focused on its foot. The acid had already run its course as black blood oozed from the wound, washing the harmful substance away.

That same blood that had stopped my acid attack before worked for me now, though. It was something that my Sanitation Lamp was perfectly suited to deal with, and it started to boil as I focused on it.

The demon only laughed. Completely ignoring the blood boiling in its foot, it turned back around and ran after Beatrice.

Bee barely had time to get into position before the Lieutenant followed her. It looked like she had managed to hit it in the head. Not that the blow was doing much more than maybe making the demon angry. This time, though, she saw Void was right on its heels chasing it down the hallway.

This gave her hope. If it was running away from her master, it had to feel fear, and that meant they could do this. She saw Tony slide into place next to her. He had a bit longer to go around but had just made it in time. That was lucky, as the demon was in a perfect position.

The Lieutenant charged toward them, heedless of the hanging vials of hazardous potions that swung and shattered across its face and chest. She grabbed the other ballista that was set up next to her, aiming down the hallway right before the main entrance. With barely a second to aim, they both fired at once, taking the charging demon in the chest and face. It didn't even stumble.

Void saw their predicament and sprayed something at the demon's feet. It caused the demon's skin to bubble. This didn't slow the demon, but the liquid made it slip a little. This gave them just enough time to get around the corner and start running for the door. Maybe outside, they would have a chance to get away.

I desperately tried to get the attention of the demon as it chased Beatrice and Tony. The liquid only slowed it for a split second and didn't even get its attention. With few other options, I grabbed the bolt that it had dropped a little earlier and threw it.

The demon already had almost a dozen bolts in its torso, and it had just left them there, uncaring. However, both times it had been stuck in the face, it had removed them. I doubted that it was because of the pain but, rather, the inconvenience. So when I threw the bolt at it, I aimed for the back of the head.

Throwing things was way harder than humans made it look. The weight of the bolt was almost enough to unbalance me. Instead of sailing through the air as it should have, the thing tumbled end over end and bounced off the back of the demon's horned skull.

This got its attention, at least. It twirled around to face me in apparent annoyance. It ripped a bolt out of its chest to throw at me. I was able to avoid it, but as I weaved back and forth across the hallway, I knew what I was doing wasn't working. I was hard to hit, sure, but it wasn't enough. Even if I could reliably hit this monster, I wasn't able to do any real damage or keep its attention on me.

When it came down to it, I just didn't have enough power. I needed more. With a thought, I transmuted all of the demons I had saved in my dustbin. There were thirty-two earth demons, as well as a huge assortment of elementals and other beasts that Beatrice hadn't wanted to keep during our exploration of the upstairs. The only things I saved were the skeletons. I had plans for them.

The explosion of power was not quite what had happened down in the catacombs before. But it was close. Electricity shooting off of me, I shot forward like a missile. I crashed into the chest of the demon, and we both went flying past the entry hall. In midair, it threw me off to the side.

With an explosion of wood, I was launched through the doors into a familiar room. It was the large room full of pillars where I had first appeared here. Skidding across the floor, I came to a halt in the center. I could feel that my axle had bent, and my Automatic Maintenance was working on overdrive to fix the damage. It would only take a few minutes this time.

But those weren't minutes I had. The demon, for the first time, didn't turn to go after its original prey but advanced on my fallen form. It limped slightly, and I could see where my impact into its chest had driven the bolts lodged there even deeper. Blood slowly dripped from the corner of its mouth, and its tongue lapped it up as the drops fell.

I could see a gash in the tongue where it must have bitten it during our collision. I tried to move, to get out of the way, but my wheels only responded at half speed. Looking at the repair timer and judging by how fast the demon was moving, I was going to have to stall for a few seconds.

Desperately I shined my light in its face, uncaring of the extra time it added to my repairs. It blocked the beam and let out the same low laugh it had been taunting us with the whole time. I shifted my focus and tried to burn the bolts driven into its chest, but even as their ends caught, the fire moved off of them and joined the flames on the demon's arms.

While I tried to stay ahead of the demon, I pushed my predictive models to their limits to find a solution, any solution, to this situation. It didn't look good. But soon enough, my model finished updating. It said I only had one chance, and so I took it.

CHAPTER 80

SPRAY AND PRAY

Bee and Tony rounded the corner just in time to avoid the Lieutenant's clawed grasp, with Void hot on its heels. They crouched halfway down the stairs for cover and watched as Void and the demon collided. A blinding flash of white and yellow seared their eyes, and they couldn't see the outcome of that exchange.

Still ducking behind the cover of the stairs, Bee waited for her eyesight to recover. When her vision came back, she saw Tony mouthing something, but she couldn't make it out. She reached up to touch her ears and felt a trickle of liquid running down the sides of her head. When Tony's eyes focused on her face a handful of seconds later, she pointed to her ears and shook her head.

Tony tugged on his own ear and nodded. Digging through her bag, she pulled out a quick heal potion she had stored for just such an emergency and downed it. Tony did the same. The potion was completely overkill for such a minor injury, especially considering that it could even regrow a hand or foot, but it was the only thing she could make to get them into fighting shape so quickly.

Hearing restored, Tony whispered to her. "What can we even do? That thing is way too powerful to take on."

"We were able to hurt it," Bee said, trying not to sound too discouraged. "If we can hurt it, then we can help Void handle it."

"Does Void even need our help?" Tony asked skeptically. She didn't miss that he had started calling her master Void rather than Spot now.

"We have to try," Bee insisted. "It didn't say it would fight all by itself. We can't let the master down, even if all we can do is provide a distraction. But still, that doesn't mean we need to be stupid about it. The Lieutenant set off all the traps along my route, so let's gather some of the stuff along your path, and we can reuse a lot of that."

Not waiting for Tony's response, Bee stuck her head over the lip of the stairs and could see flashes of light coming from the grand hall where Nazareth'gak and Void were exchanging blows. It seemed they were still probing each other, as the damage was not nearly what it had been just a few seconds ago. Not seeing any opening, Bee just darted down the hall and rounded the corner as fast as she could. Thankfully, Tony followed.

They didn't slow down as they sprinted toward the first set of untriggered traps. The first was a bucket of potions balanced on the top of a servant's doorway. The double door on the right was open from when Tony had run through, but the one on the left would open as he was chased due to the demon's sheer bulk.

Tony reached up and handed it to Bee, who raced back to the grand hall. Tony stayed behind, rushing back into the hall to get the next salvageable trap component.

I only had one hidden card, and I needed to play it. There was no more time for messing around. I was trying to use the pillars for cover to position myself, so I could unleash my attack from the right direction, but the demon kept knocking them down with swings of its fist. I was very glad we hadn't just let this thing rampage. It was capable of making a mess so thorough and cataclysmic that even I didn't think I could clean it up.

Dodging the falling masonry, I positioned myself so that I lined the demon up with the doorway leading out of the castle. Right as I had it in place, Beatrice jumped out. She wasn't even armed with her broom, but instead was brandishing a bucket. She hurled the bucket's contents forward, and the demon ran through the liquid in midair.

For the first time, the demon didn't laugh about this assault. This time, it screamed and tried to wipe at the sizzling liquid on its chest. It mostly succeeded, but now the liquid was burning its hands too, and it had driven the many bolts in its side even deeper. The scream it let out peaked my audio sensors' microphone input. Still, it wasn't slowed as it looked for its attacker in rage.

Beatrice had smartly ducked back out of sight as soon as she could, so the demon charged at me instead. With my chance ruined, I had to zip out of the way. I wasn't too concerned, though. I would have another chance soon. I worked my way toward where the majority of Beatrice's attack had splashed on the floor. With a couple of swipes of my Mop, I retrieved all the liquid. Good, now I had a real weapon.

Not once did I take my sanitation beam off the target, but now I had two effective weapons. Unfortunately, the demon now had a second weapon too. It was a close call, but I managed to dodge the chunk of pillar that it hurled my way. The wall behind me wasn't so mobile. With an explosion of dust, the wall broke, and a gaping hole appeared next to the door. I hoped Beatrice hadn't been standing there.

Now that range was no longer my friend, I went in close. I started using the lamp and Spray Bottle in combination, launching streams of the liquid that I had just gathered to coax the demon back into position. It still seemed to burn my opponent, eliciting growls of annoyance, and the demon went out of its way to avoid it. But if it thought it could land a blow on me, it would take a spray in exchange.

Despite its impressive speed, though, it never managed to land a direct blow. My predictive models and quick acceleration managed to keep me just one step ahead. That wasn't to say I was unscathed. Each time it barely missed me, an explosion of stone ringed its fist. The shards peppered my sides, filling them with scratches and making my repair function work overtime. The terrain was also getting more uneven and harder for me to traverse.

Still, I was making progress. I saw Beatrice stick her head out again. There was some blood running down the side of her cheek, but she didn't look too damaged, thankfully. Finally, I had the demon where I wanted it. Right as it charged me from the door, I reached into my dustbin and loosed the army.

Bee had barely survived the wall exploding behind her. The explosion had thrown her sideways and ragdolled her down the hallway.

Tony ran to her side, fearing the worst. The girl's small form was still, unmoving where it lay. Without a second thought, Tony grabbed another quick healing potion and gently tipped it into Bee's mouth. He held her, relaxing slightly as her faint pulse strengthened.

Bee coughed, spattering a bit of blood over her tunic as she struggled to stand once more. But Tony gently kept her lying where she was. "Bee, listen to me. This is too dangerous, especially for you. We've done enough here, and we need to get you to safety."

The younger girl stared up at him in confusion, dazed. "We haven't won yet… Void needs us."

Tony shook his head. "I really don't think he does. Look, I know you're strong and all, but this is a whole ‘nother level. I don't want you to get hurt, and…" He sighed. "I promised my Da to keep you safe, Bee."

As her wounds healed, Bee considered his words once again. The longer this fight went on, the more convinced she was that Void was just toying with the Lieutenant rather than treating it as an actual threat. Still, her master had asked her to do what she could.

Coming to a decision, Bee faced the farmboy. "Tony, if you want to retreat, I won't stop you. But I made my own promise to Void, and I won't go back on it."

She flashed him a smile. "Plus, Master is strong. He'll protect me, even against a monster like that."

Bee rose to her feet, a little wobbly but determined. The potion was sapping a lot of her energy, but she didn't have time to rest, so she pushed past the fatigue. After a moment, Tony joined her with a look of grim determination on his face. Together, they rushed to the next unused trap to salvage it.

The next trap that she had repurposed was a bit of razor wire. It had taken some ingenuity, but she and Tony had managed to set it up in the hallway just above head height for them. It would hit the demon when it exited, hopefully.

When they were running back to get the next trap, a new clattering noise came from the active fight between the god and demon.

The skeletons had reformed in my dustbin early on. But even after that, they hadn't stopped changing. I was a bit more aware of their presence because of the increasing ways I could split my attention as I had leveled up. Over the last several days, in particular, I watched as power had seeped into them. It had changed them drastically from the mid-level, somewhat basic skeletons they had been.

When they emerged, they no longer looked like the skeletons of humans. They had all grown several feet, and their bones were much thicker. Coming off each was a faint purple glow of power. An unending tide of armored legions poured from my dustbin. I hoped that this strategy would work much better than the last time I tried it with the demons.

These skeletons and demons were indeed enemies like we had first guessed down in the catacombs. But it wasn't as simple as it seemed. To the demon, they were just ordinary skeletons. But when I was examining them in my dustbin, I could feel the utter hatred the skeletons felt for all demons.

As they came out, they quickly formed orderly ranks. As the second each rank was formed, the first charged the demon. They didn't fare very well. It was a bit of a disappointment to see my trump card shattered with a wave of a fist. That was just the first wave, though, and there were a lot more where that came from.

The second rank also was tossed aside, but they still didn't stop. By the fifth wave, they had driven the demon back a step from pure numbers. By the tenth, the first wave was already reforming. I only had twenty waves to let out, but they pushed the demon back. It was slow, and they didn't always make progress. But they weren't losing outright.

I spent a few seconds trying to heal the worst of my damage, but soon it was clear I needed to help. Coming in from the sides, I worked to keep the demon being pushed backward over dealing damage. I wanted it outside where it could make a mess without hurting the castle anymore.

The skeletons were making some progress. It was hard to say they were really damaging it, but more and more thin lines and streaks of blood appeared on its chest. Their only saving grace was that unless they were completely smashed, they were back in the fight rather quickly. Their ability to reassemble themselves was much higher than the low-level ones Beatrice fought against, back when we first went into the catacombs.

Additionally, there were a few skeletons that were not in formation. Those were much smaller than the rest, though still larger than I recalled. They started trying to sneak around the demon but kept getting dismantled and having to reassemble before trying again. I assumed they were the weaker skeletons I had cleaned up rather than the tomb guardians.

Eventually, we pushed the demon out into the hallway. But following it was a bit of an issue, as all of the skeletons couldn't get out of the door at once, and only with their full numbers could they have any effect on the demon. It seemed to realize this advantage and stood firm at the doors, sweeping wide with its fists and bashing the skeletons to pieces.

As I tried to formulate a way past this choke point, my sensors noticed a pair of the smaller skeletons sneak out of a newly formed hole in the wall. A small contingent of other skeletons saw that and started to follow.

Bee watched in awe as endless tides of skeletons fought the Lieutenant. This was a weird sight. She and Tony were watching from a hole in the wall, waiting for the right time to strike. They had gathered throwable glass balls and flasks, but there hadn't been an opening yet. The swarm of massive skeletons completely blocked all angles of attack.

Focused on the combat as she was, Bee was confused when Tony hauled her back away from their position. A pair of smaller skeletons crawled out over the wreckage. They glanced around and saw the two humans but ultimately ignored them. Instead, they continued to advance, sneaking around the demon who had just been pushed out into the hall. Were they assassins?

To check, Bee Scanned the pair. The names seemed familiar. Where had she seen Skelly and Skully before?

Soon enough, more followed, and Tony and Bee just watched as skeletons circled around to attack the demon from behind. Once the flow stopped, the demon was completely surrounded. For the first time since they had awoken it, the situation seemed to be looking up. However, that didn't last long.

With another roar that popped Bee's eardrums, a wave of force blasted out of the demon, throwing the skeletons in all directions. Only a split second later, the wave hit Bee and Tony. For the second time in the last few minutes, she was flying back down the side hallway.

CHAPTER 81

BREAKING A FEW EGGS

The Lieutenant roared, releasing a shockwave that expanded rapidly outward. I was able to use Air Affinity to split the blast around me, but I wasn't able to save anyone else. From behind the demon, the majority of the skeletons flew down the hallway toward the front entrance. When they hit the massive wooden doors, they didn't stop. The stonework above the doors crumbled as most of the skeleton's army was flung outside. The less fortunate ones hit walls before they went that far, resulting in damaged walls and powdered bones. I thought they were likely out of the fight for good.

Much of the wall the demon was standing by didn't survive either. Now the large room had a straight path to the outside. I briefly looked around at the damage, but I didn't let my feelings overwhelm me. I had already hardened my heart to the coming mess.

The demon stood in the center of a shallow crater. For the first time, it didn't seem in good shape. It breathed heavily, with blood running out from countless cuts across its body. None of the cuts individually meant much, but they added up. Also, that explosion seemed to have taken a lot out of it.

This might be my only chance. Picking up one of the skeleton's swords from the ground in my Grabby Arm, I charged. I let out my most terrifying war cry and swooped in. My Spray Bottle and Sanitation Lamp were both working at full power. Right as I neared my target, I pivoted gracefully, slicing across the back of the same leg I had been concentrating on this whole time. It was too late to save this castle from damage, but I wasn't about to let the perpetrator escape.

With my speed and the heft of my blade, I cut deep into the back of the chemically burned ankle. Its odd flesh parted under my blade on my second spin. I dropped the sword and pulled out my Mop. Slapping the appendage to the open wound, I felt it begin sucking the demon dry. The Mop pulled moisture out of everything it touched, and as I had powered up, its capacity and range had only grown.

The demon might be a thing beyond this world, but it still had blood. I would see how well it fared without that.

Even as I pressed the Mop into the injured demon, it tried to swing its leg forward and away from me. When it went to put weight back on the bad leg, however, it gave out. The beast collapsed to one knee in apparent pain.

Harold watched numbly as the sounds of battle echoed from the castle. The rest of the officers were still arguing about what to do, but based on the power that was being thrown around…there was nothing they could do. Harold himself was probably the highest-level person in the army, and he had just reached level 42—nowhere near strong enough to handle this.

His Energy Sense indicated that there were multiple combatants well over his level fighting. And at least one that was more than twenty levels above him, if he wasn't mistaken. The whole army couldn't really do much against that. Well, couldn't do much yet. There was some hope, he realized. They could hope that whatever was battling wore the other one down. Perhaps if the winning party was too exhausted, they might be able to move in and finish off the last one standing.

His only question was, who was fighting? Clearly, one was Nazareth'gak. The only other thing that was so powerful might have been the demon they summoned. If it was two demons fighting, it wouldn't be too much of a surprise. They had their hierarchies. The ones that were powerful and intelligent enough to make a deal with humans hardly seemed to like each other. But that didn't explain all the other sounds and energy signatures of unknown skills that Harold was picking up on. It hardly seemed like a one-on-one fight in there.

Right when he was about to launch himself back into the discussion to lay out what they needed to do, the front of the castle exploded. A spray of gray and white pulverized the doors, leaving them in splinters. The noise got everyone's attention, but it didn't hold it for very long before the war room erupted back into chaos.

Harold, though, kept his attention on the debris. When they started putting themselves together, he realized what they were. The undead. Skeletons, to be specific. Once they reformed, they gathered into hurried ranks and started heading back into the castle. Then, something odd happened. A smaller band of skeletons emerged from the remains of the entryway. A band of skeletons led by a zombie rat. The rat chattered at the skeletons going back in. They paused for a second. Then a couple of them chattered back.

Watching in disbelief, Harold struggled to keep his jaw off the floor. The back-and-forth went on for a bit before the skeletons and the rat all sat down. What followed was a seemingly very detailed conversation consisting of only chattering teeth. Eventually, they all got to their feet and, in unison, looked out the main gate over at the human encampment.

As strong as my Mop had gotten, it still needed to be wrung out. When I retracted it, the demon flew into action. I wasn't prepared, and the backward swing of its fist clipped me with a glancing blow. While I only bore the slightest amount of the blow's force, it still sent me tumbling across the cracked and shattered floor. Hitting a loose piece of rubble, I flipped over.

However, this time was different. Time seemed to slow down as my processors contemplated an evasive maneuver. My agility had become more than I could have ever imagined. In the air, I was able to extend my arm and plant it on the ground. With a little push, I was able to flip myself to land on my wheels, already charging back into the fray with a fresh Mop.

The demon had become wise to my new tactic, though, and didn't let me get close. Now I was the predator chasing the stumbling demon around. It wasn't quite as one-sided as when it was chasing me. I still needed to be careful of its blows, as a single hit to the top could completely flatten me. But the demon was moving slower.

Having proved that I could actually damage it, the cowardly nature of the demon showed forth. It wasn't able to dodge the way I could, but it was faster than me. I was trying to get at its heel, but it was clever and left a trap. I got quite close before I had to bail out of the attack to avoid a body slam and falling elbow strike.

I only escaped by a bristle's width. However, the maneuver left the demon vulnerable on the floor. I emptied the rest of my Spray Bottle into its face now that it was on my level. The demon didn't appreciate the gesture, curling up to avoid the burning liquid. This was a mistake. Between that moment of blindness and its slow recovery, it gave me time to retrieve another sword.

Instead of spinning and slashing, this time, I pointed the sword forward and charged into its back. The blade sank into the left ribs up to the hilt. I tried to pull it out, but it was stuck so fast that I lost my grip. Previously the demon had ignored bolts driven deep into its torso, but this sword was much wider.

When it roared as it struggled to its feet, I could hear a liquid bubbling in its lungs. I tried to grab another sword but couldn't quite find one before it got back up. Taking one look at me and my brandished Mop, the demon decided that it had had enough. Turning on its good leg, it made a limping run for the main entrance to the castle, where it could see the outside.

I raced after it as fast as my wheels could carry me. Even injured, drained, and weak from waking early, it was still faster than me in a straight line. I shined my lamp on its retreating form, but that only seemed to spur it on faster. Desperately I thought through my options. I needed to find a way to catch up with it.

Examining my dustbin, it was mostly empty. I had either released the contents at the demon or burned them for power. The only thing I had left was the blood I had consumed from it. Wait. I burned a lot of power when I collided with the demon. Had I leveled up?

Yes, I had! Somehow I had failed to notice the notification during the fight. Quickly I scanned my options to see if anything was going to help me.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 45 REACHED. TENTH MUTATION REACHED. CHOOSE A MUTATION: TASER, POOPER SCOOPER, THRUSTERS.

Yes, there was something! I chose without really considering the other options. Activating my new ability, I pointed the newly formed nozzles behind me and activated them. I shot forward like greased lightning. Launched off the ground, I caught up to the running demon as it reached the top of the stairs.

My momentum knocked us off the steps and through what remained of the entryway, out to the courtyard. We sprawled out over the plateau in front of the castle. In the last second, I was able to position my Mop so that it lanced into the demon's back, right next to the sword. With the force of our collision, it had no problem driving into the same hole, widening it a bit.

More importantly, my Mop was thirsty and was soon draining the demon dry. I could feel its heart trying to pump blood with my sensors, but it wasn't able to draw it in faster than my Mop was. For a second, I stuck to the demon, firmly attached by the Mop in its wound. The demon flailed and managed to knock me free, but in the process, it also knocked the sword out. As it regained its feet, blood poured down its torso and dripped off its back.

I stopped in front of it, and its eyes met my visual sensors. Suddenly, a movement between its legs caught my attention. Apparently, the skeletons that were flung through the entrance before had been able to put themselves back together. Huh. It looked like there were a large number of humans as well. The little mess maker that I had first used to scare away the mean humans appeared to be leading a charge against these humans.

My army had abandoned me, leaving me to fight the demon all by myself.

Not that there was much more of the demon to fight. It was standing in front of me, but it didn't look very steady. As it swayed back and forth, it blinked at me. It seemed to be running low on power on top of all the damage already done to it. All of its weight was being put on its injured leg.

This was my opportunity. As I moved, I realized I was also low on battery. Since I had transmuted the last of the demons to get my last level up, I had done a lot of fighting. Still, I zoomed forward to try and hit the demon's good foot with my Mop. At least, that was what I pretended to do. As it moved to knock me aside and protect its good leg, I changed course. Swapping out my Mop for my Grabby Arm, I scooped up the dropped sword.

I almost got away clean. My battery was draining faster than it should have been, and I just wasn't quite quick enough to avoid the kick with the injured leg. Much of the terrifying power was missing, but there was still enough force to send me cartwheeling away. Somehow I managed to hang on to the sword.

Trying to figure out what was wrong, I checked my Automatic Maintenance function and saw it was doing repairs to my battery area. That was not good. The leaking power was slowing but not fast enough. I only had one hope. I started transmuting the blood of the demon.

CHAPTER 82

ON THE SPOT

Bee woke up. This time she was all alone. The noises in the castle were quiet, but she could still hear something happening outside. With a groan, she sat up and shielded her eyes from the bright light. Being knocked out like this twice in a row could not be healthy. If she hadn't already had the healing potion in her system from Tony… Tony!

Bee stood up as quickly as her wobbly legs would allow and looked around. She was on top of a pile of rubble. Stepping down, she started to dig around for her fellow disciple. He didn't have the healing potion already working on him, and he was at a much lower level than her. If she didn't find him soon…

She was shifting large rocks around frantically, trying to see if he was buried in the pile. Eventually, she glanced to the right and found his limp body off to the side. Hobbling over to him, she went down on one knee and checked over him. Leaving her fingers in front of his mouth, she slumped in relief as she felt a very light breath.

Looking around, she couldn't find his bag. Going back to the pile of rocks, she found the contents of her own satchel had become a mess of shattered glass and oozing liquid. Quickly she inventoried everything from her preparations. She knew she had made extra potions; she just wasn't sure where she had stored them.

Debating the risk of moving him, Bee decided it was best to just leave him here and quickly retrieve the potion. She limped down the path that Tony had been in charge of baiting. The traps and supplies she passed along her path had been very much destroyed as the Lieutenant chased her. As she ducked around and stepped over all the tripwires and traps she had set, she couldn't help but be disappointed.

Many of them had activated, but almost all seemed ineffectual. In the end, Void had to do almost all the work. She had spent so much time preparing, and all she had managed to do was slightly annoy it. Maybe the bucket at the end that she had splashed on it had helped. But when it came down to it, the only way to fight had been with power. The kind of power that only her master had.

Bee supposed that was the lesson that it was trying to teach her. She needed to get stronger. She had been too proud and believed a little girl could defeat one of humanity's ancient nightmares. Only through the benevolence of her master did the humans here still live.

As Bee found the crate of backup supplies she had made for Tony's route, she thought about what it meant for the Lieutenant Nazareth'gak to be here. If it was here, that meant that perhaps more of those so-called fairy tales were real. More real than most people knew. Still, the mages had to have been aware of the demon. But she had been in the castle for two months and had no idea. She doubted any of the apprentices knew either.

If that was the case, how many more of the ancient monsters were still around? Were they properly hidden and captured, or did they depend on a group of mages who, if they were to run away, could loose death on the world? These thoughts sent chills down her spine. If other demons might awaken, her position of Priest of Spot was much more important than she'd realized.

Sure, she had learned her lesson. She needed to be stronger, but that wasn't the only thing she had learned. No, it wasn't just her that needed to be stronger. It was everyone. The human world couldn't afford to stay weak. Being content about getting to level 20 in their prime, maybe 30 if they pushed themselves. No, they would need to take risks. The world needed to listen to the wisdom that Void had given her.

But would just being strong be enough? Maybe, maybe not. Even if it was, it would take time. Leveling was slow, even when taking great risks. Until humans could take care of themselves, they were at the mercy of her master.

Changing the world might be a bit much for her. However, her master needed to stay pleased. More than her life now depended on it. Obviously, she would follow her master's plans, but she made a note that when she next got the chance to talk to a person, she would tell them what she had learned.

What else would humans need to do to make sure they stayed in Void's good graces? Well, obviously, tidiness would be essential, and stairs would have to go…

When Bee got back to Tony, she found that his condition still hadn't changed. She administered the potion and waited. After some initial progress, she moved him to lie in a more comfortable position. Then she continued to treat her friend.

After Tony was stabilized, Bee walked to the front of the castle. She wanted to see if her master had finished off the Lieutenant yet, or if he was still toying with it.

I couldn't believe that this demon was still standing. I had the benefit of a fresh infusion of energy from its blood, but the Lieutenant? I watched as a seemingly endless stream of black liquid poured down the demon's torso. Standing seemed to be its limit. We stared each other down as my repairs finished. This was going to be the deciding factor. If I weren't able to heal so fast, I would have already been scrapped. It seemed the demon was healing slightly, too, though much more slowly than I. At least its blood flow was slowing.

Once I could move again, I circled around the demon, forcing it to move opposite me. This was a challenge, as it had to pivot on its good leg by pushing with the damaged one. Slowly I rolled around the demon, looking for a weakness that I could use to take my foe down. I was still wary as I knew how dangerous a wounded foe could be. I had seen enough nature documentaries not to let down my guard. Now that I was able to understand them, I could liken my situation to that of a wolf circling its injured prey.

As I continued my movement, I wasn't able to keep my path perfectly round as I had to keep going around debris. Honestly, it was quite bumpy. After a couple of circles, I could see the demon was starting to tire. I also found the smoothest path to use to strike. When the time was right, I moved. Darting forward, I lanced the sword right at its rooted good leg. It wasn't able to dodge.

Not that it didn't try, but it had to suddenly shift onto its injured leg to dodge. Unable to support itself, it stumbled. As it fell, I drove the point of the sword right through the demon's kneecap. It collapsed to the ground, howling in pain, now completely unable to stand. Still, it could use its arms as it tried to crawl away and vainly swat behind it.

With the demon no longer a danger to me, I started trying to figure out how to finish it off for good. Judging by my memories of the time in the catacombs, the ancient humans hadn't been able to kill it, so I assumed that it would heal from anything given enough time. So there was only one place for it. I started trying to consume it with my vacuum.

But it didn't work. Either it was still much more powerful than me, or it was simply too large. Unlike the earth demons, it wasn't made of a bunch of smaller particles that I could easily consume. So I might have to resize it a bit.

A few minutes of grueling work later, I had the demon all packed away in my dustbin. I examined it closely, and I could see it start to reassemble itself. This would not be acceptable. It was at a high enough level that once it was repaired, it might be able to break out. Also, for the moment, Bee had said it was still weakened from waking up early. If it had time to adjust, I didn't know if I could beat it again.

Bracing myself, I transmuted the demon to energy. A wave blasted outward from me. One more powerful than I had ever felt or seen before. It lifted me high in the air, many times higher than I had ever been. It was…uncomfortable, to be honest, but also an incredible view. I was able to see the castle far below. Out in the distance, mountains surrounded us on three sides. The only path into our massive valley led to a walled city. I watched as, along the path, a wave of skeletons ran after a group of fleeing humans. Even as I watched, the humans started to pull away, and the skeletons stopped their pursuit. Huh, that was odd. Starting to fall, I activated my new mutation. Hopefully, my boosters would give me a soft landing. Otherwise, this would be bad.

On my way down, I received a new notification.

LEVEL UP, LEVEL 50 REACHED. YOUR DOMAIN IS NOW ACTIVE.

Huh, I wondered what that meant…

Harold had to order the retreat himself. It was unfortunate, but no one else in command was left to do so. These undead were smart. They were much too smart for the mindless skeletons they were supposed to be. They had charged the command tent first. Taken unawares, the officers weren't even able to put up a token resistance.

Luckily the soldiers were well-trained, and even without the command structure they formed battle lines. Still, without a clear chain of command, large-scale tactical decisions were beyond them. Harold had stepped up and started handling things, but he was a mage, not a battlefield commander. Seeing his first command be met with confused looks from the junior officers, he gave up on winning and did his best to disengage.

To make matters worse, the undead army radiated a powerful enough aura of undeath that the slain officers began to rise within a matter of minutes. When Harold saw that, he knew they had no chance. He gave up on winning and did his best to disengage.

Retreating back to Greg was their only option. There they would at least have walls and reinforcements. Still, Greg was a long way away, and Harold wasn't sure they could make it in time. It would be a hard couple of days of riding.

Still, it was their only option. Shortly after the men engaged the massive skeletons, Harold signaled the retreat. The remaining junior officers tried their best to coordinate and cover their men as they fled. Since most of the men were mounted and horses were faster than skeletons over short distances, they began to pull away. Surprisingly, the undead quickly realized they wouldn't catch them and stopped pursuing. These were truly unlike any undead that Harold had ever read about. Sure, demons were his field of study, but he had many friends that were accomplished undead researchers. Some corner of his panicked brain registered the fact that they would have killed to be in his position here.

Right as the skeletons fell back, Harold felt the Lieutenant fall. A bright light shot up into the sky, and Harold could make out a small black disc that seemed to eclipse the sun for a brief instant. From this range, it was hard to be sure, but he had a sinking suspicion of what he had just seen.

In the end, it was almost worse than they had feared. The demon he had summoned had freed the Lieutenant. But not to serve it or to make an alliance. No, to kill it and steal its power. What kind of monster saw one of the thirteen as a source of power? As prey?

Something that would need more than the measly amount of soldiers that were sent this time. They would need the whole army. It might even be time to set aside their differences with Barleona and work together to save the human race. Harold doubted their neighbor would see the attempt as anything but a trick, but he had to try.

EPILOGUE

The Warden was on his way to meet with Harold again. As he made his way through the different levels of security, his mind worked through the problem at hand. This meeting was important, and Harold had been proven right after all; otherwise, he wouldn't have been here. They had not sent nearly enough troops, and because of that, the kingdom had lost several experienced officers they really couldn't afford to lose. The weakening of the kingdom was not part of his plans yet, and this would force him to adjust.

The Warden didn't like having to change plans, but you didn't get to his position without being flexible. He had backup plans, but none of them were nearly as elegant. And things were still changing.

Sure, the demonic threat was worse than they feared, but that wasn't the only concerning news coming in. Some of this new news was just as bad, if not worse. There were reports of a new undead plague springing up in the same area. Also, of a new feeling of power people were reporting, something blanketing their minds. He doubted those were coincidences. In other areas, too, things were not going well.

Most of the countryside had been stripped of its soldiers to prepare for the war.

This lack of a policing force meant bandits were on the rise, as it always did. It also made it very difficult for the adventurers to keep up with suppressing all the zones that had weakened membranes to other realms, allowing monsters to come through. Adventurers weren't good at that sort of stuff without support. Point them at a big target, and they might solve your problem, but thoroughness just wasn't in their nature.

Not only were there all of this kingdom's internal issues, but some of his operatives in the neighboring countries also reported secret demon summoning projects of their own. Each country seemed to be looking for its own secret weapon. His operatives were doing their best to sabotage their efforts. Normally this wasn't something that his organization would take part in, but after this last disaster, he couldn't risk another.

He had only allowed the demon that Harold was assigned to slip through because Harold was his man. The motion would have been easy to stop, of course, but he had hoped that Harold would succeed, and that might have put his operative in an even better position. He couldn't have been more wrong.

As he sat down at the table facing the fire, he looked over to study Harold. This man was once one of his most promising trainees. He'd had hopes that Harold might one day replace him. Now, those hopes were dimming like dying embers.

"What news do you have for me?" the Warden asked.

Harold met the Warden's eyes. They seemed tired now, more haunted than he remembered. "It appears that the undead and demon threats are linked in some way."

"We already knew that. It can hardly be considered news," the Warden pointed out, annoyed.

"Yes, but rumors have come around of a certain young girl and an unknown entity 'saving' people," Harold explained. "I think they are using the undead to force people to them."

"If that is true, then they are far more organized than we have thought," the Warned mused. "If that is the case, then we still underestimate this thing you summoned. I've never even heard of the undead working with demons before. Are you sure?"

"Well, it is a rumor. But I think we best not underestimate this threat." The younger mage shuddered. "We had done so too many times already."

The story continues in All the Dust that Falls 2!

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Ashlock wakes in the courtyard of a demonic sect... as a tree. A tree that eats people. An odd start to a new life. Almost as strange as the humans flying through the skies on flaming swords and challenging the heavens. After all, this is a world where one could chase the goal of immortality through the art of cultivation. But Ashlock is merely a sapling in a desolate courtyard, left alone with his thoughts and unable to speak to those passing him by. Unless he does something about it... Every day that passes he grows continuously stronger as he cultivates and uses a suspicious daily sign-in system that grants him powerful skills, mutations, summons, and items, all in exchange for credits earned from devouring flesh and watching the seasons pass. But his peaceful life and man-eating ways can only go unnoticed for so long and those around will soon grow suspicious. If that isn't bad enough, his Qi-rich bark makes him a target for many young masters, and tensions in the demonic sect are at an all-time high, with the cataclysmic Beast Tide festering on the horizon. Ashlock's only chance of survival is to grow faster and stronger than any tree has ever done in the history of the nine realms—all while trying to avoid being turned into firewood. Don't miss the start to this unique reincarnation isekai LitRPG set in a Cultivator world. With millions of views and tens of thousands of followers, this was one of the most popular web serials of 2023. Now, experience the definitive version of the hit story on Kindle, Print, & Audible!

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Crimefighting is illegal. Punishable by life in prison beneath the ocean. That won't stop Harrier. In a world where crimefighting is a criminal act, and justice comes at the cost of freedom, one masked hero refuses to bow to the law. Meet Sawyer William Vincent, a man with a mission, and a name that's more than a mouthful. Once known as Red Raptor, he's now the enigmatic Black Harrier, New York City's last hope against the darkness that threatens to consume it. Blending the best of DC and Marvel with a fresh twist, in a city where vigilantes are hunted, where friends have become foes, and where every punch thrown carries the weight of a life sentence beneath the ocean, Harrier stands undeterred. Join Harrier as he defies the odds, upholds justice, and fights for a city that may no longer recognize him. In a world where being a hero means being a criminal, Harrier is the beacon of hope the world needs. Get ready to soar into a superhero epic like no other—because when justice is outlawed, only the Harrier can bring it back. From #1 Audible & Washington Post Bestseller Jaime Castle and CJ Valin comes a new superhero universe perfect for fans of both DC and Marvel. Actually, it's for fans of anything superhero-related. You’re gonna like it. Promise.

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