Side Story - Amelia 1: Maid’s Life

 AN: She just your average maid.

Amelia let out a sigh as she picked Maria up once again. The girl had been running around the estate ever since her father had allowed her to move into the All-Mother's temple. "Have some patience," she said, ruffling her charge’s hair. "You will get to explore soon enough."

"But I want to see the temple!" Maria exclaimed, looking up at Amelia. "Can you imagine what it will look like?"

"Like most other temples, I'd wager." Even though she now worked as a maid for the Terenyks, Amelia had seen more than enough divine institutions to know that they rarely differed from one another. Probably built to channel more power to their deity. She held little interest in the divines, quite happy to simply live with the blessing she had received for her service in Kensar's Hunt.

Her charge pouted at her words. "Why do you dislike her so much?" she asked as Amelia set her down on her bed.

"Because that is my job," the maid replied. "I may also perform more mundane duties, but the main reason your father sought to employ me is my ability to identify threats and defend you from them." And I can't read the Creator…

Amelia had already voiced her concerns to Lord Terenyk but, much like herself, he was quick to tell her that there was not much they could do. She might be good at her job, as well as being stronger than most in Ebenlowe, but against the literal Creator of all they knew that meant precious little.

"Why would Aperio be a threat?" Maria asked as she opened the drawer of her nightstand to retrieve her sketchbook. "She wasn't the one that took mother; she removed the ones that did."

Amelia stifled a sigh as she took her post by the door. Maria was smart — far beyond her age, in any case — but she seemingly still failed to understand, or did not want to admit, that her Goddess was the reason her life had been the way it was.

"Perhaps," she said after a moment, letting a tiny strand of mana flow into the choker she wore to inform Lula that her shift was coming up. "All I ask is that you are careful around her. I cannot protect you from her if she chooses to turn on us." Probably not even slow her down.

While she might be good at her job, nobody could expect her to put up any meaningful resistance against the All-Mother. That Lord Terenyk had asked her to keep an eye on the Goddess was already quite the ask.

Amelia could follow her more than easily enough, as Aperio was a walking font of mana that was hard to miss, but it only served to underline the fact that she could erase anyone with but a thought. And probably knows when someone follows her. Her tendency to simply teleport did, however, tend to remove most trails the maid could hope to follow.

A knock on the door stopped Maria from answering, the girl simply motioning for Amelia to open it. The maid did as instructed, already knowing Lula was on the other side to take over for the night.

"Good evening," the Dragonkin said as she stepped into the room, her tail happily swishing from one side to another. She bowed to Maria once before taking the spot by the door Amelia had occupied until a moment prior.

"Already bedtime?" Maria asked with a pout, lowering her pencil and sketchbook.

"I am afraid so," Lula responded, the lights in the room dimming slightly. "Sleep is important for the young."

Amelia nodded at the words, bowing to Maria once before wishing her charge a good night and leaving the room.

Once outside, she let out a yawn and stretched her arms upwards. At level two hundred and fifty-four she did not necessarily need sleep, but she would still try to get some rest. But that's for later.

She turned and made her way towards her own room, her already quiet steps silenced completely by the thick carpet present all over the second floor of the Terenyk estate. Her room was only a couple of doors down from Maria's own — something that would usually not be acceptable for any noble house, but had been deemed necessary by herself and Lord Terenyk.

While she now had other maids serving under her that she could trust to keep Maria safe, that had not always been the case. Still isn't… Lula was one of the few people in which Amelia was fully confident in their dedication and ability to perform their duty. The Dragonkin might not look like much when compared to most of her kin, but that impression was misleading. Lula was a tougher opponent than many would be willing to admit.

That was to be expected, of course, but only if one knew that the Dragonkin was once an adventurer in the higher echelons of their Guild. She had retired from her previous profession shortly after the death of Lady Terenyk; much like Amelia herself.

Most maids that now served to protect Maria had known the Lady — and they all owed her something, in one way or another. They had all taken an oath at the time and dishonouring it even now was not an option. The ever grumpy Kilto, too, had maintained his vow and had moved from Linter to Vetus to litter the estate with his wards and enchantments. Though I guess his debt is more towards Geshton…

The day Maria would learn of her parent’s heritage would be a fun one. Doubly so if one considered the fact that she had been blessed by the All-Mother. The Guild will be thoroughly annoyed.

Most noble houses would not send their heirs to become Adventurers, but house Terenyk was unlike most. The rite of passage was the reason Geshton had met his wife and most of the people now in his employ. Even if he was a rubbish Adventurer.

Lord Terenyk had still not reached level two hundred, even after all these years, but Amelia could not really fault him. Most of his days were spent managing the holdings of the family, a task she did not envy. He should really hire an administrator to help him.

Amelia closed the door behind her, letting out a sigh as her uniform disappeared from her body and was replaced by scale-mail, a shield on her back, and a sword on her hip.

Wearing her actual armour always felt good, and not having to go through the laborious process of putting it on only made it better. The wonders of space magic.

She might not be able to directly use that magic herself, but she had gotten herself a nifty little enchantment that ran the length of her left arm to compensate for that. It had been expensive and painful, but not being reliant on an item to keep her valuables safe had been worth it.

People always told her to 'just get the Skill', but that was easier said than done. Skills still had requirements, and [Dimensional Storage] needed you to be able to do some space magic before it would grant the skill. Amelia had not a shred of space magic in her.

What she did have, however, was an excellent grasp on blood and life magic — also the main reason she had been chosen to watch over Maria. Aside from some extraordinary circumstances, she should be able to protect her charge from most anything that could happen. Even the grim task of reattaching her head was doable.

Lula could do similar things, though she used different schools of magic to achieve them. All the maids that stood guard over Maria had a set of equivalent skills, though Amelia only trusted a few to actually do their job.

For now, however, she will fulfill the other part of her contract: acquiring a bit of crystallised essence from the monster in the Ebenlowe dungeon. That she enjoyed the bit of combat was a bonus.

Before she could rid the world of a few monsters, however, Amelia had some other business to attend to. Lord Terenyk had asked her to check up on some of the enterprises the family ran in Ebenlowe, just to make sure the recent tensions had not invited unwanted guests into their establishments.

A few of the other servants greeted her as she passed, most already familiar with her routine. Even though it shifted from week to week, it was easy enough to make the connection when she wore her armour and was leaving the estate grounds.

The guards at the gate gave her a nod that she returned while they opened the doors to let her through. Much like herself, most of them were once Adventurers that had grouped up with one of the Terenyks. The ones that had not known the Lord or the Lady personally were members of some of the branch families.

They weren't as trustworthy in Amelia's opinion, but Lord Terenyk took at least some measures. The shift schedules never had an area manned by the branch families alone.

The clattering of the gate closing behind her coupled with the slight hum of the magic that wrapped around the entire estate gave her a measure of calm she needed. Without it, she would not be able to perform her other obligations.

Her first stop for the night would be the orphanage not far from the estate itself. Usually there was no trouble, as it was on the Feranir Isle. The families that called it their home went to great lengths to make it a safe place to live — even for those who had no noble titles to their names.

The conglomerate that ran Feranir was by no means the only one that maintained a charitable institution or two, but Amelia was well aware of other conglomerates using the front of such endeavors to hide...less savory goals. Orphanages especially. Molding hapless children into your personal assassin force; it was an old trick, but to this day it still managed to work.

With a small shake of her head, Amelia pushed those thoughts from her mind. She could already see the orphanage, the small tower that reached above the surrounding houses hard to miss.

The complex that now housed the Feranir Orphanage used to be a guard station that had been bought and re-purposed by the conglomerate that ruled the isle. The late Lady Terenyk had spent a good bit of time organising resources for the endeavour, one of the reasons why her name now hung boldly across the entrance.

Agy, Amelia thought, stopping to look at the metal letters above the gate. 'Agathy's House for Children' was the name that had been chosen after her passing. A little dry for Amelia's tastes, but that was bureaucracy.

A small sliver of her mana ran through the runes engraved onto her arm, causing them to glow faintly beneath her armour and a basket to appear in her hand. It simply wouldn't do to visit the children without some treats.

She did not have to make her presence known, the gate already opening when she stepped into the torch-light that illuminated it.

"Good evening," the guard said, a small hiss accompanying the words as his tongue tasted the air. "I see you have brought your offering as always."

Amelia smiled in reply. "Of course I brought treats, Sayno. You know Minia would not let me inside otherwise."

"The mistress is harsh indeed," the reptilian man said as she closed the gate behind her. "She has procured the item for you, however. Perhaps some more glasberry rolls the next time are in order."

"I come prepared," the maid replied, patting the basket lightly. "I always bring extras, otherwise she would eat it all and the children wouldn't get anything."

"A hoard of pastries is still better than a hoard of gold for her," Sayno said with a chuckle, giving her a small wave before returning his gaze to the street beyond the gate. "Best of luck, Amelia."

"Thank you," Amelia said, giving the man a light nod before she set her eyes on the orphanage. Time to enter the Dragon's lair.