Chương 66: Chapter 64 - Training and a Bath

Chelsea lunged forward and slammed her shield into her opponent's side. The impact landed solidly enough, but they didn't even shift their stance. It felt less like striking a person and more like trying to move a castle wall.

"Again," Adriane instructed. Chelsea pulled back and thrust with her spear. The attack never came close. Adriane casually redirected it with the wooden practice sword in her hand. Nearby, Ivy released another firebolt. The spell flew straight and true before a translucent yellow barrier appeared between Adriane and the spell. The flames splashed harmlessly across its surface and dissipated into sparks.

"That one was better," Adriane said. Chelsea alternated between shield strikes and spear thrusts while Ivy experimented with angles and timing. Every attack was blocked, redirected, absorbed, or ignored. Adriane wasn't even sweating. Forty-five minutes later, Chelsea stepped forward for another attack and suddenly froze. Havoc Spear Level 1 Acquired. Her eyes widened.

"I think I just got a Valkyr skill." She immediately stopped paying attention to everything else and pulled up her notifications. Just to be safe, she activated Auto-Blocking first. Adriane had a long and proud history of turning educational moments into surprise attacks. Chelsea focused on the new skill. Before she could read a single line, another notification appeared. Auto-Shielding increased to Level 2.

Auto-Shielding increased to Level 3 Shield Specialty increased to Level 3 Shield Specialty unable to increase until personal level increases. Predictable. The next thing Chelsea knew, she was flying sideways through the air. She hit the dirt, rolled twice, and came to a stop several meters away. Chelsea calmly stood up and brushed grass off her clothes.

"It's called Havoc Spear," she announced as if nothing unusual had happened.

"CHELSEA!" She looked up. Ivy was sprinting toward her. The expression on her face was pure panic.

"Are you okay? Ivy, you're not hurt? What's going on?" Chelsea's heart started pounding seeing the panic. This seemed to create a panic loop between them.

"Your arm!" Ivy finally said, breaking the loop. Chelsea glanced down. A jagged piece of bone was protruding through the skin just above her shield. She stared at it.

"Huh." She reached down and poked it with one finger. There was no pain.

"Oh, that sucks." Ivy looked moments away from fainting. Chelsea turned toward Adriane.

"I get proving a point, but this seems counterproductive. Now we have to stop and find a healer before I can test my new skill." Adriane shrugged.

"I thought you could take the hit."

"Clearly not." Chelsea mumbled to herself.

"I'm using the Mayhem title right now. I was hoping leveling those skills would unlock a class ability. Something definitely worked." The three of them began looking around the practice field. It didn't take long for Chelsea to spot their solution. An earth mage was launching stones at a healer, who appeared to be repeatedly healing himself between impacts. Chelsea pointed.

"Found one." She ran over to him. The earth mage noticed her first and lowered his hands. The sudden lack of incoming rocks caused the healer to look up as well. His eyes immediately widened.

"Miss Wixx!" The greeting came out much louder than he probably intended. Chelsea smiled.

"Hi there. I was wondering if you could help me with something." The healer nodded rapidly.

"Of course."

"My sister got a little enthusiastic during training." Chelsea moved her shield aside. The healer immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I can fix that," he said.

"But it's going to hurt." Chelsea brightened.

"Oh good." The healer blinked.

"Good?"

"Don't worry about the pain. I'm tougher than I look." She lowered her voice slightly.

"Spooky demon magic and all that." The healer looked even less reassured.

"Right..." He glanced between the exposed bone, Chelsea's smile, and the very unconcerned S-rank adventurer standing in their practice square.

"Miss Chelsea, I should mention that I'm only E-rank. This might take a few minutes."

"That's perfectly fine." Chelsea gave him her sweetest smile.

"And please call me Chelsea. I'm E-rank too." The healer stared at her for a moment. Then he looked at the bone sticking out of her arm.

"Yes, Miss Chelsea." Chelsea nodded approvingly.

"Now," he continued carefully, "before I heal it, I need to set the bone." His expression became apologetic.

"That part is going to hurt the most." Behind Chelsea, still standing with Adriane, Ivy looked worried.

"Do what you have to do," Chelsea said. The healer nodded and carefully felt along the outside of her arm. His fingers pressed against muscle and bone while he tried to determine exactly where everything belonged.

"So, what's your name?" Chelsea asked.

"Oakland, Miss," he grunted. He adjusted the protruding bone. He had been fully expecting a scream. Instead, Chelsea tilted her head.

"An elf?" Oakland paused.

"Yes, Miss." Chelsea leaned slightly to one side, trying to see his ears through his shoulder-length hair.

"Oh, that's so cool."

"My girlfriend is an elf," Chelsea continued. Ivy immediately turned bright red behind her, hearing her call her that.

"Or consort. I think consort is technically the correct term? I should probably ask somebody. The point is she's an elf."

"You are... with an elf?" Oakland asked. The question escaped before he could stop it.

"I am," Chelsea replied with a dreamy smile.

"And she makes me very happy." Ivy looked ready to either melt into the ground or burst into flames.

"That's wonderful, Miss Chelsea," Oakland said. He began channeling healing magic into the arm. The familiar green glow spread across the injury.

"Can I ask something, miss?"

"Of course," Chelsea replied.

"Weren't your wings black yesterday?" He asked Chelsea immediately perked up.

"Aww, you noticed! Well, yes," Chelsea continued.

"They were black yesterday. I got my subclass, and now they're white. My horns changed too. And my tail." She reached behind herself and grabbed a handful of fluffy white fur.

"See?"

"I... see." he replied quietly.

"Personally, I think the tail is the biggest upgrade," Chelsea admitted.

"It's ridiculously soft." She was currently petting it with her good hand while he healed her. Oakland wasn't sure if this conversation was real.

"What subclass did that?" he asked. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"Havoc." She replied calmly.

"H-havoc?"

"Yes, sir." The healing spell nearly faltered. Chelsea continued talking.

"I think getting the subclass changed my main class somehow. Or maybe it modified my race? Or maybe both?" She frowned thoughtfully.

"How does that stuff work, anyway?" His mind was firmly stuck on one word. Havoc. There were stories about one specific version of Havoc. Old stories. The sort that got whispered around campfires. Tales of the Valkyr and the scary… crazy one. The sort that involved full armies disappearing. Chelsea added cheerfully.

"It's all very confusing." Oakland silently decided that he never wanted to be on the opposite side of anything named Havoc. The healing magic finished. The bone had slid back beneath skin. Muscle reformed. The wound vanished completely. Chelsea rotated her arm in a full circle.

"Whoa!" Then swung the shield a few times.

"I thought you said this would take a while." Oakland stared at her.

"I..."

"It was practically instant." Before he could respond, Chelsea stepped forward and wrapped him in a quick hug.

"I owe you one." Oakland froze.

"Let me know if you ever want me to set aside a job for you."

"Right," he said. His voice sounded distant to his own ears.

"Will do." Chelsea released him and jogged away. Oakland remained exactly where he was. The earth mage slowly walked over.

"What's wrong? The scary Wixx demon threaten you with a good time?" he laughed at his own joke. Oakland continued staring at the retreating demon.

"She said her subclass was Havoc." The earth mage stopped laughing immediately.

"Havoc?" Oakland nodded. The earth mage looked toward Chelsea.

"Oh." Neither man said anything for several seconds. Meanwhile, halfway across the practice field, Chelsea had already forgotten about the entire interaction. She broke into a run. The moment she felt she had enough speed, she planted one foot and launched herself upward as hard as she could. Her wings snapped open. Brilliant white fur caught the air. For a brief moment she actually climbed.

"Ha!" Chelsea immediately angled herself toward Adriane. Shield forward. Spear back. If she had learned a skill called Havoc Spear, then clearly there was only one responsible thing to do. Use Adriane as target practice.

"Wanna know my two favorite parts of this new Valkyr thing?" Chelsea asked Ivy as they relaxed in the enormous bath. The manor's bathing room was easily one of Chelsea's favorite places. The pool was large enough that everyone could fit comfortably without being crammed together, and the water somehow stayed at the perfect temperature.

"Tell me," Ivy replied. Chelsea shifted their intertwined hands and transferred Ivy's hand into her other one. Then she lightly dragged an index nail across the back of Ivy's hand. Ivy's eyes widened.

"They aren't sharp anymore?" Chelsea grinned.

"Nope." Ivy's adorable elf ears went red. Chelsea's grin only grew.

"What was the other thing?" Ivy asked. Instead of answering, Chelsea adjusted her grip again and gently guided one of Ivy's fingers toward her mouth. She bit down experimentally. Ivy tilted her head in thought.

"Oh?" Chelsea waited.

"Oh!" Ivy repeated, blushing even more. A smile spread across her face as realization set in. Chelsea smiled right back. The fangs were still there, but they weren't nearly as dangerous as before and the razor teeth were gone. Chelsea tapped her tongue with her new finger nail, noting it was still scaled to protect from the razor teeth.

"Miss Wixx," Ivy muttered playfully. Chelsea looked entirely too pleased with herself.

"You two are gross." The comment came from the doorway. Bea stepped inside and immediately began removing her clothes. Behind her, Edgar followed. Weirdly. He didn't remove his clothes normally. They all just… fell to the ground. All he was now was a floating mask.

"And not gross in a cute way," she continued.

"In a make-me-regret-having-eyes way." Chelsea groaned.

"Again, for the tenth time, you tried having sex in front of me ten minutes after meeting me."

"Chels, get over it." Bea slid into the bath and released a satisfied sigh.

"Edgar and I are adorable." Edgar… floated? In beside her. The water rippled but there was no sign of a body in the water. Chelsea had never seen him like this. Bea settled deeper into the water.

"Oh, this is perfect." She looked Chelsea up and down.

"So what's with the color change? Did somebody spill paint on you?" Chelsea didn't even hesitate.

"What happened to your face?" Bea froze. Chelsea pointed dramatically.

"Did you fall out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down?" For a moment there was silence aside from a drip here or there. Then Bea's eyes lit up.

"That," she said slowly, leaning forward, "was incredible!" She shouted into the echo-y room. Chelsea immediately smiled, proud of herself for saying a third-grade saying to great fanfare.

"I'm stealing that. Say it again." Chelsea happily repeated it. Bea went into her own world, mumbling, trying to remember every word.

"Edgar?" Chelsea asked.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Huh, you don't have to have those clothes. I didn't know that." Chelsea explained more to herself than to him.

"Gali only need their primary piece." Ivy explained.

"Think of him as umm… a wind. Like he can fill things like clothes. But the primary piece, his mask, is what his spirit is tied to."

"Are you actually a guy?" Chelsea blurted out.

"I… Well yes." He replied. The mask tilted slightly.

"I have always believed myself to be." Suddenly the voice changed to an elegant female voice.

"I suppose I don't have to be a man." Bea looked the most startled by the voice.

"I… didn't know you could do that."

"No one has ever asked my gender before. I suppose I had never questioned it either. Something to ponder." The bathroom door opened again before Bea ask anything else and Fiona stepped inside.

"Hey there!" Chelsea greeted.

"Bath party!" Fiona smiled.

"Chelsea, I love the new color." She gestured toward the white wings.

"Much less scary."

"Thank you, Fiona. I didn't realize I was that scary to everybody." Fiona laughed.

"It wasn't bad once I got to know you." She settled into the bath.

"When I challenged you for Dewey's hand that first day, I honestly thought I was volunteering for my own funeral." Chelsea frowned in thought, "Huh. Really?"

"I mean it!" A moment later the door opened again. She took one look at who it was and Chelsea immediately reacted. Two enormous white wings snapped shut. The next thing Adriane and Dewey saw was a suspiciously large fluffy ball floating in the bath.

"Chels," Adriane said.

"Yes?" She quietly replied"Where's Ivy?" An arm emerged from beneath the wing fortress and waved.

"Under here!"

"Oh, good." Adriane nodded.

"Just making sure." Chelsea groaned from inside the wings.

"Chels, you don't need to hide. It's a bath." Dewey ignored the awkwardness, "Little Sister Chelsea, Adriane says you have news to share?" Chelsea's embarrassment doubled. He was technically her brother. Which somehow made this worse.

"Oh. Uh." She looked around the inside of their wing cave.

"I do?"

"Does it have something to do with your wings changing color?" Fiona asked.

"Oh!" Chelsea relaxed, "That news."

"Yes," Adriane said.

"That news." Bea released a long frustrated groan. Water splashed as she stood up.

"You are so fucking annoying sometimes. It's a bath." Bea marched over and grabbed one of Chelsea's wings.

"Bea, no."

"It's not like Dewey is going to…"

"Bea!"

"... fuck Fiona right in front of you." Chelsea made a strangled noise. Chelsea buried her face against Ivy's shoulder as Bea forced the wings open. It didn't take much effort. Without any gear equipped, Chelsea was once again just a level one. A very weak, very vulnerable level one. Ivy started laughing so hard she nearly slipped under the water.

"Traitor." Ivy patted the back of her head.

"There, there."

"You aren't helping." She groaned. That only made Ivy laugh harder. Eventually Bea settled back into the water.

"So," she asked, the grin obvious in her voice, "what's the news?"

"Bea, I'm going to find you the most tedious job ever tomorrow," Chelsea mumbled. Bea reached over, grabbed one of Chelsea's horns, and peeled her away from Ivy.

"Sit up like an adult or I'll rip a wing off." Chelsea immediately sat upright. Still, she found herself sitting there painfully aware of how exposed she was in front of everyone. Specifically, Dewey. It was one thing to be naked in front of the other girls but it felt... weird. Ivy, meanwhile, looked completely relaxed. Chelsea was becoming increasingly convinced that elves simply experienced embarrassment differently than humans and demons.

"The news?" Fiona prompted. Chelsea let out a sigh.

"I evolved my class today and got a subclass." Dewey's face immediately lit up.

"Oh, congratulations, Little Sister!" he said.

"Is she allowed to share that in front of Fiona?"

"She's apparently been walking around with the title all day," Adriane replied.

"So it's fine." Bea immediately turned toward Chelsea and narrowed her eyes. For several seconds she simply stared above her head. Chelsea was familiar with this. It's where people's names and titles appeared. Then her eyes widened as she mouthed something. Chelsea stared back.

"What?" Bea mouthed it again. Finally, Bea threw up her hands.

"It's the first word."

"Oh. It says 'The' something." The room went silent.

"Chelsea," Adriane said.

"Please don't leave everyone in suspense." Dewey leaned forward.

"So what subclass did you get?" Ivy laughed beside her and gently bumped her shoulder.

"You know," Dewey added helpfully, "basic things." Bea turned back toward Chelsea.

"Anyway, what is your new class? I know there's an 'of' in there somewhere. You're a Maiden of... what exactly?" Chelsea smiled.

"Havoc."

"And technically I'm not a Maiden anymore." Dewey had been smiling happily up until that point. For several seconds he continued nodding as though everything Chelsea said was perfectly normal. Then the meaning finally caught up to him. The smile faded. His eyebrows pulled together and his face went blank. Chelsea had never seen Dewey make that expression before. He slowly turned toward Adriane who was grinning. Dewey then looked toward Fiona. The large woman looked equally stunned.

"As in..." Dewey began. His voice cracked. Chelsea blinked in surprise. She genuinely didn't know his voice could do that. Fiona swallowed.

"Are you one of the Twelve?" She asked quietly. The question came out almost reverently. Chelsea glanced toward Adriane, whose grin got bigger. She simply nodded.

"The ninth one?" His face went blank. Fiona finally turned toward Dewey.

"Havoc is the psychotic one that kills everyone, right?" She had attempted to whisper it. Unfortunately, the room was so quiet that everybody heard every word. Dewey's eyes bulged as he stood, "My little sister is the Valkyr of Havoc!?" Chelsea's eyes immediately widened. That was a lot of Dewey. Painful looking amount of Dewey. She briefly found herself thankful she had never pursued him romantically. Then she felt a little bad for Fiona. Although, Fiona was also enormous. Maybe they balanced out.

Chelsea was still trying to work through the logistics when Dewey suddenly appeared directly in front of her.

"Uh oh." Before she could react, he scooped her out of the water.

"Dewey!" The giant man ignored her entirely. He pulled her into a crushing hug that lifted her completely off the ground.

"My little sister is the Valkyr of Havoc!"

"Dewey, oxygen!" Then he held her out at arm's length toward Fiona as though presenting some priceless treasure.

"My little sister is the Valkyr of Havoc!"