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Unbound Soul Side Story: Unexpected Employment
🕑 Added 2023-03-28 05:13:59 +0000 UTCThis side story covers some of the events of the volume 8 afterword, in the description of Peter's adult status, and takes place a couple of years after the previous mating season chapters.
I stared at the portal that separated me from the final boss of the dungeon. A portal not of magic, but of stone; a circular slab five metres across.
Okay, maybe there was a little magic. Through [Mana Sight], I could clearly see that pushing the button didn't trigger any complex internal physical mechanisms. The stone just rolled out of the way of its own accord. Seeing the inner workings spoilt the ambience a little, but in my opinion, if Erryn hadn't considered that delvers at the bottom of a fifty floor dungeon would probably have a range of esoteric senses, she'd been a bit foolish.
In any case, floor fifty of the obsidian spires ended not at the gravity-flipping chambers of the previous floors, but at this ornate barrier instead, very clearly designed to delineate inside from outside. And, for the first time ever, I was here alone, without Cluma.
Which meant I didn't have to worry about accidentally catching Cluma with a decay grenade. As silver linings went, that one was pretty big, so I tossed a grenade through the opened gate and into the darkened chamber beyond.
The flesh horror that led the army of the final boss screeched from a dozen maws at once, ordering its minions to attack. Minions that were somewhat fewer in number than they had been a few seconds earlier. Alas, the grenade wasn't effective against the flesh horror itself, given its spread-out nature, coating the walls of the room. Short of building a monster core powered bomb, there was no way to hit all of it at once.
Nevertheless, I wasn't too worried. Triggering the fight before stepping into the boss chamber proper may have been a bit of a cheat, but again, if Erryn didn't want delvers doing it, she should have planned for it. Instead of one against a hundred, it became one against however many of the biologically implausible amalgamations of flesh and claws could fit side by side through the circular doorway. Which was still quite a few, once the monsters that could stick to walls and ceiling, or outright fly, were considered, but it was still a decent choke point.
Doubly so when I tossed another grenade neatly behind the doorway, vaporising everything jostling to get through.
After that, it was simple enough to clean up the survivors—those that had already made it into the corridor—and then it was on into the chamber to deal with the flesh horror. It could sponge up silly amounts of damage, but with the minions destroyed, dealing with it was a simple matter of spraying lightning from both gloves, making sure to target any tentacle bundles before they whipped at me, and keeping [Fabric Manipulation] active to dodge the barbs of bone it spat out.
The mana drain of that spell was insane, but I was finally at the point where I could keep it up long enough to beat the thing. As long as I didn't do something stupid, like mix up [Fabric Manipulation] with [Material Manipulation].
ding
Skill [Fabric Manipulation] advanced to level 6
Title [Proficient Delver] evolved to [Expert Delver]
Thankfully, I didn't, and so it was done. Not much in the way of levels, but aside from my newest spells, everything that mattered was maxed out already. The lack of a class level was a mild disappointment, but I was already above level twenty, so it didn't stop me from swapping out class immediately.
Not that I had any clear idea what to swap out to. Yes, the rank two classes were a no-brainer, now that I wouldn't need to level them, but I still wasn't sure what I wanted for my next real class.
Instead, I grabbed the worthless rank four enchanted item from the chest and teleported back home.
"One... Two... Th..." I started counting under my breath, not even getting through three before a pair of thin but inescapable arms grabbed me from behind.
"You're back!" exclaimed Cluma. "Did you do it?"
"Yup. You're hugging an official [Expert Delver]."
"Congratulations! Time for a celebratory feast!"
"... Which I need to cook myself?" I guessed, my esoteric senses not displaying any unexpected food in the house.
"Obviously! Do you see anyone else here with [Expert Cooking]? I still think you should have taken [Expert Runecrafting] instead of [Expert Carpentry], though."
"I've already explained that a higher level of that wouldn't let me pack more mana into your meals."
Cluma pouted, not being convinced that better skills wouldn't automatically translate to better steak. To be fair, the System could be rather weird sometimes, and its generic habit of 'high skills make things better' could well have silly results, like improving the taste of mana.
"Maybe we should get Grover to enchant one, just to check?" suggested Cluma.
"Okay, if it'll get you to give up."
"Me? Give up?" she giggled. "Oh! Of course; speaking of skills you should take, have you switched class yet?"
"No. Why?"
"[Maid]!"
I peered dubiously at the catgirl. Yes, I was planning to work my way through all my available second rank classes, since they were now effectively free, but that one wasn't exactly at the top of my list.
"You want me to spend a soul point on [Advanced Etiquette]?" I guessed.
"Of course! Your massages are the best! Besides, you promised to get [Clean] before next mating season."
"Fine," I agreed, knowing when to pick my battles and when to fold.
ding
Class changed to [Maid]
New skill acquired: [Clean]
New skill acquired: [Advanced Etiquette]
Skill [Basic Etiquette] consumed by superior skill [Advanced Etiquette]
Skill [Advanced Etiquette] advanced to level 3
"And done." I'd never maxed out [Basic Etiquette], given that I used it almost entirely for massaging Cluma and so lacked any sort of variety or urgency bonuses, but it was still worth a pair of levels for [Advanced Etiquette] once upgraded; the levels had sped up somewhat since our first mating season, as Cluma sought to recapture even a fragment of the high she'd been on back then and demanded lots of tail brushing to aid her in her quest.
"Yay! We'll try it out after the feast!"
"You and your food. How have you not got a gluttonous trait yet?"
"Hey, I'm perfectly happy eating boring rations while we're in the middle of a dungeon."
"Well, yes, but only because you can supplement them with an unlimited monster core supply."
Cluma shifted her eyes away from mine, at least having the decency to look embarrassed.
"Well, if you don't want to..." she mumbled.
"Maybe tomorrow. For today, I just want to collapse and sleep."
But first, I had some other classes to pick, starting with the rank two combat classes. I attempted to bring up the class selection menu.
The System didn't respond.
"Uh..." I said. Was there some sort of enforced time limit between class changes? Come to think of it, I hadn't had my plus five to all stats for completing the class. Not that I was really expecting free stats, but it was a point towards the System not considering my class 'complete'. Was there a minimum number of levels you needed to change class, regardless of level requirement reductions from titles?
"Is something wrong?" asked Cluma, slipping back away from frivolous mode once she saw my expression.
"Maybe? A little? I can't change my class away from [Maid]."
"Oh. That's... uh... interesting? You did check the [Expert Delver] description, right?"
"Yup. It says twenty levels!"
"Well... You can't be stuck forever. Maybe it just needs time? Or one level?"
"Maybe. Oh well. Like I said, I want to collapse. I'll worry about it tomorrow."
Tomorrow came, but there was no change. I still couldn't pick a new class. That left trying to level [Maid], and our house was in need of a professional [Clean] anyway. When that failed to get me a level, I moved on to Clana's house, then my parents' shack.
ding
Skill [Clean] advanced to level 2
A skill level, but no class level with it.
"You have any friends' houses that need cleaning?" I asked Cluma.
"Yes, but I'm still waiting for you to try out [Advanced Etiquette]! Do that first!"
"... Fine."
Ten seconds of kneading her shoulders turned her into a fluffy puddle, with no tail touching required.
"Mmm..." she moaned. "Totally worth it, even if you're stuck as a [Maid] forever."
I resisted the urge to yank her tail; I was after levels here, which meant doing my best. Alas, we'd done this so many times before that getting a level for it seemed unlikely. At least [Clean] had been completely new. I worked my way down her back anyway, ending by running my fingers through the fur of her tail, eliciting a shudder from her as it sent shocks up her spine.
She'd been more needy than usual since my return. I could blame it on our separation while I solo-ran a fifty floor dungeon, but it was causing a subtle desire for revenge to bubble up. Pleased with her reaction, I concentrated the entirety of my new skill on her tail.
Cluma sunk into our bed, mumbling something utterly unintelligible, then falling completely still. I smirked as a small pool of drool formed on her pillow, but kept going regardless.
And then I stopped as a larger patch of wetness spread from her crotch.
"Uhh..." I said, not completely sure how to react. Cluma didn't react at all, still gently purring away, completely oblivious to her surroundings. That didn't change even when I carefully lifted her up, confirming that yes, she had indeed wet the bed. Nor did it change when I carried her to the bathroom, removed her sodden underwear and washed her, dressed her again, and put her back in her own room. She thankfully still kept her bed made up, even if she always slept in mine these days.
"Oh, come on, surely all of that was worth a [Maid] level?" I muttered to myself, using [Clean] on my bed as I tried to repair the damage. Lesson learnt; next time I gave her an [Advanced Etiquette] powered tail massage, make sure I used a waterproof sheet covered in plenty of towels. Or share with her my shame of the d-word.
... Maybe I didn't level because that was more of a [Babysitter] thing than a [Maid]?
She wandered back in half an hour later, bleary-eyed and confused.
"What happened? You were playing with my tail, then I woke up in my room. When did I change my panties?"
"... Uh..." I stammered. "I'll answer if you really want me to, but I can assure you you'll regret asking."
She peered at me in suspicion, rubbing her eyes as she tried to drag herself back into the world of full consciousness. "Seriously? What happened?"
"You wet the bed."
She stopped rubbing, staring at me in judgemental silence.
"I'm serious! Your old panties are on the floor in the bathroom."
She turned and walked out of the room, still in silence. Seconds later, an interesting noise came from the bathroom. Not quite a scream, but still an expression of utter embarrassment and disgrace.
"That skill is banned!" she exclaimed, rushing back in. "Banned!"
"You sure? It's not like I can down-level it back to the basic version, and you weren't exactly complaining at the time."
"Banned!"
I grinned, guessing it would only be a few days before she changed her mind. Alas, that was another day down, and I still couldn't change my class, despite my efforts to level it. Of course, class levels didn't come on a daily basis, but what else could I do? Meaningful, challenging, varied skill uses were best for levelling. I'd get points for 'varied' from using [Clean], but meaningful and challenging? If I did nothing but clean people's houses, it could take a season to get a level!
And so, the next morning, I consulted Cluma, who had thankfully mostly recovered from her embarrassment of wetting the bed as a full-grown adult. "You mentioned friends' houses that could do with a [Clean]. Any particularly challenging?"
"Yes, in fact," she beamed. "I was up a little early, so I popped out to check with a friend if she could make use of you."
"You don't have to phrase it quite like that..."
"Well, come on then. Hurry up and eat your breakfast, and you can get started."
"Why so enthusiastic?" I asked, finishing off my cereal. Cluma practically dragged me out the door the moment I was done.
"No reason," she responded, which I immediately filed under 'deeply suspicious'.
Suspicions that deepened as she pulled me towards the centre of the town, a specific manor looming in front of us. She'd said 'a friend', but that didn't narrow things down at all. She was friends with the entirety of Dawnhold!
"Just who, exactly, is this friend of yours?"
She grinned maliciously as she pulled me through a side entrance to Lord Reid's mansion, without even bothering to knock. She continued down a few corridors at speed, obviously knowing full well where she was going, and knocked on a simple wooden door. The corridors weren't decorated at all, so we were obviously in the servants' quarters.
"I've brought him," called Cluma.
"Ah, good. Come on in," called a voice from inside.
"Uh... Hi?" I tried, not quite knowing what to say as Cluma pulled me in, still not letting go of my wrist.
"Hi? Come now, Cluma tells me you have [Advanced Etiquette]. Surely you can do better than that?"
"Yes, Miss," said the skill with my voice as I snapped to attention. "A pleasure to meet you, miss."
Cluma smirked.
"Better. Now, Cluma has explained your circumstances, and as luck would have it, we have a substantial delegation visiting from the Emerald Nest later today. While our staff has increased in size somewhat as the importance of this settlement blossomed, we're still short of manpower for such a big event. If the pair of you would be so kind as to clean and prepare the rooms they'll be using, the rest of us can focus on more forward-facing preparations, and no-one will need to rush."
"Aww, you're going to keep him out of sight?" complained Cluma.
"As far as possible, yes."
"But he needs the challenge to level as quickly as possible!"
"I'm sorry, but it wouldn't be proper. Servants with any possibility of being seen by guests must follow the dress code, and we can't magic up a butler's uniform for him at such short notice."
"He's a [Maid], not a [Butler]," pointed out Cluma. "And he has his own uniform."
"This is revenge for last night, isn't it?" I complained, realisation finally dawning. "You want to cross-dress me and parade me in front of a bunch of important people."
"..." confirmed Cluma.
"Well, too bad. Uniforms are supposed to be uniform," I pointed out. "My maid costume isn't appropriate for here."
The Law would stop her asking the housekeeper specifically to do that, but it didn't stop Cluma hoping it would happen naturally. Thankfully, this housekeeper had nothing to take revenge on me for, so a mildly sulky Cluma and I made our way to the appointed rooms, where I did my best to [Clean] and prepare them to perfection.
And yes, since we were alone, and I was literally working as a [Maid], I did give in to Cluma and teleport home and back to change. It was safe, since we'd been allocated this area specifically because we wouldn't be seen, but the proximity to other people was slightly thrilling regardless.
... Cluma had trained me well. She wasn't the only one looking forward to next mating season. Not that I'd ever give her the satisfaction of admitting it.
Alas, by the time everything was prepared, I still hadn't gained a level. Of course, just like class levels weren't an everyday thing, they weren't an every two day thing, either.
And, to make things worse, I'd made a really bad assumption in the discussion with the housekeeper. She'd said 'guests', but my overoptimistic mind had heard 'anyone who isn't a servant'. I was thus quite surprised when a lady walked in on us wearing not any sort of uniform or servant's clothing.
"Sorry to interrupt. Just checking if things were..." she started, before catching sight of me dusting. [Clean] did wonders, but I still needed to physically touch my target with something, and a feather duster was great for adding a bit of reach. "... Ready?" she finished after a several second break.
"Cluma, you caused this, so you're responsible for explaining," I sighed.
"Explain what?" she asked, popping her head out of the en suite.
"Cluma?" asked the lady. "Oh, then you must be Peter," she realised, covering mouth with hand as she gave a genteel giggle. "My husband talks about you often. This certainly sounds like it has a story behind it."
"Husband?"
"Silvanus."
Oh. So Lord Reid's wife had just caught me cross-dressing. I didn't even know he was married. There was the occasional moment in life when I found myself really glad the Law existed, and I quickly decided that this was one of them.
I left Cluma to explain as I gave the room a few finishing touches, by which time Mrs Reid was obviously expending a substantial amount of effort not to laugh.
"It's fine," I reassured her. "No need to hold back. I'm well aware it's funny."
"Did you at least get the class level you hoped for?"
"Not yet, no."
"Then I have a suggestion. You want varied, challenging work? Silvanus spoils me by keeping a personal assistant for me on staff, but she's currently away on maternity leave. I'm not so helpless as to require a stand-in, but if you're looking for a varied job, I would appreciate the help."
And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Lord Reid's wife solicited me for her personal maid. And, desperate as I was to level the class, I agreed.
Three weeks it took to gain the level! Three harrowing—albeit highly educational—weeks. For the first time, I got to learn which bits of [Advanced Etiquette] were actually applicable to Erryn's new society, as opposed to being leftovers from the previous civilization. As silver linings went, though, that was a pretty darn small one.
Yup, the moment Cluma decided that she was in need of another tail brushing, I was definitely going to inflict the d-word on her. And make sure she was very well watered beforehand.
