Is It Wrong To Skitter In A Dungeon? Chapter 46: Magic and Ants (Patreon)

Is It Wrong To Skitter In A Dungeon? Chapter 46: Magic and Ants

Chapter 46: Magic and Ants

“Is this everyone?” Taylor asked, looking around the group who’d gathered in the garden. Today was the first magic lesson for Primo, and a few other members of the Hestia Familia had gathered, interested in the lesson.

Right now, the group for the lesson consisted of Primo and Gina as the main students, but Emma, Lili, Haruhime, Mikoto, and Ryuu, the five other adventurers with an interest in improving their own magical prowess, were also listening in.

Primo shifted excitedly, and Gina bounced in her seat. They were sitting on chairs as they watched Taylor, who stood in front of a blackboard she’d scrounged up from somewhere.

“Well, if this is everyone, let us begin,” Taylor said. “First off, let’s start with a question: What is magic?”

“Magic is the breath of the gods that infuses the world,” Primo said. Taylor didn’t say anything and just looked at the rest of the group, focusing on Gina next.

“Um, magic is… cool?” the Amazon offered. “And, uh, it’s dangerous? Oh! And we use it to power stuff like magic tools!”

“Yes, I suppose that is correct, Gina,” Taylor said, a smile creeping onto her face. “And Primo, while I can’t confirm your statement, magic does suffuse the world. It is present in everything, from the rocks to the plants to animals, though it is more prevalent in living creatures.”

She was just repeating what the old witch had taught her, but it seemed to work for the young elf and the rest of her audience.

“Now, magic is a type of energy, like lightning or fire, but far more subtle and difficult to observe directly,” Taylor said, dumbing it down a bit.

Most of the lesson was a refresher on basic facts and principals. Primo and Ryuu knew of them due to their elvish heritage but the rest of the group were less familiar, and Taylor wanted to establish a baseline for further classes.

“So, any questions?” Taylor asked, looking around.

“Why do we need a Falna to cast spells?” Gina asked, raising a hand.

“The Falna is a crutch,” Taylor said simply. “It is incredibly useful, I do not deny it, thanks to the fact that the magic circle of a spell is stored within the Falna and can be summoned at will. But you do not need the Falna to cast a spell. Observe.”

Taylor pointed a flesh and blood finger towards the garden. “Rise, Rinse. Repeat. Three times I demand obedience, three times thou shalt serve me. Lash and castigate mine foes who sully the world with their deeds! Water Whip!”

From her outstretched digit, water gathered before forming a long, thin whip-like tendril that lashed out, cutting into a log and severing it in twain. The tendril then grabbed one of the halves and dragged it over to her hand, where she caught it.

“As you can see, that was the incantation for the Water Whip spell,” Taylor said. “Now, I will admit that the only reason it was able to cut the wood is thanks to my Magic stat. Without it, I doubt you’d be able to lift more than five, maybe ten pounds of weight, and certainly couldn’t cut anything. But notice how I didn’t need to summon a Magic Circle, and only needed the incantation. Can anyone guess why?”

“Is it because you’ve practiced that spell so many times it’s second nature to you?” Primo wondered.

“Close,” Taylor nodded. “Anyone else have an idea?”

“I think it’s a trick question!” Gina declared, raising her hand. “You actually did use a Magic Circle! We just didn’t see it!”

Taylor smiled. “That’s right, Gina. Good job.”

“Wh-what?” Primo gasped. “But… I didn’t see any insects make one!”

“To be fair, you were also right, Primo,” Taylor admitted. “But so was Gina.”

She tapped the side of her head. “The Magic Circle was up here.”

“Memorization and visualization?” Mikoto asked, surprised. “You memorized the Magic Circle for the spell and then visualized it in your head, using the incantation as a guide?”

“Precisely, Mikoto. Incantations are partially memetic aides. Essentially, they are there to help you remember how the spell is supposed to work. Some spells do need to be spoken aloud, but those are closer to ‘ritual’ spells as they are beseeching the spirits for assistance,” Taylor explained. “Of course, with training and practice, you can become familiar enough with a spell and not have to utter its incantation. Though such a thing may lower the output slightly.”

“Whoa, really?” Gina asked with wide eyes, and even Primo looked shocked at the idea of chantless casting.

“This method doesn’t really work with the Falna’s Spell Slots, but for ordinary spells, this technique is quite useful,” Taylor confirmed. “Every time I’ve cast Earthquake Fist or some other spell, I am drawing the Magic Circle in my mind, visualizing it. That is how I am able to cast without physically forming it, or without chanting anything.”

“Is that even possible?” Emma wondered.

“Of course. You’ve seen me do so, after all,” Taylor pointed out, which was hard to argue against. “I will admit, such a thing is not easy and requires a lot of concentration and a decently high Magic stat.”

“Why?” Lili wondered.

“The Magic stat corresponds to the amount of Mind you possess, and a higher Mind also relates to a better memory,” Taylor explained, once more tapping the side of her head.

“Memory?” Primo asked. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Compare the time before you got a Falna, and after. It’s easier to recall certain memories with one, isn’t it?” Taylor claimed, and everyone gained thoughtful looks.

“Interesting. You might be right,” Ryuu muttered. “I had not made that comparison before.”

“It makes sense, though,” Mikoto mused. “The Falna enhances every aspect of a mortal. Why wouldn’t memory and other mental aspects also be affected?”

“But what if you forget what the Magic Circle is supposed to look like?” Gina wondered. “What if you can’t visual it?”

“Your brain does not actually lose information unless it is physically damaged. So, an incantation, when spoken, helps trigger your brain’s recollection process. Your magic then carves the Magic Circle outside of your body, casting the spell. It is complex, but a natural mental reflex,” Taylor said.

“But, if anybody can cast spells this way, why are spells cast by people without a Falna so weak?” Emma asked.

“Because aside from elves, most races simply do not have enough magical energy, or Mind, to have their spells be able to do much,” the parahuman explained.

“So, since I have a Falna now, that means I should be able to use magic and cast spells that can actually do damage?” Gina wondered.

“With time and practice, sure,” Taylor nodded. “First, though!”

She took out some Magic Stones, handing one out to everyone. “Before any of that, if you really want to cast spells like I do, you have to actually feel the magic. Those are the Magic Stones of Orcs, and contain a decent amount of magical energy. Slightly less than what an adult human lacking a Falna would possess. Try to detect the magic within them, and pull it out. Like so.”

Taylor held up a Magic Stone and pressed a finger against it, then pulled. Thin ethereal strands of glowing light separated from the crystal, and her students stared in awe as Taylor directly plucked raw magical energy from the Magic Stone.

“I don’t expect you to be able to do this right off the bat. For now, try to learn how to sense magical energy. I believe this is an important ability for a mage as you’ll be able to tell how much Mind you have, instead of relying on guess work,” Taylor claimed. “And after you can do that, then you can move on to moving the magical energy around as you please.”

To demonstrate, Taylor took the magical energy from the Magic Stone and formed it into the magic circle for the Firebolt spell, one of the easiest combat-oriented fire-type spells around. From the circle she formed in mid-air with raw magical energy, a burst of white-hot flames appeared for a brief second before fizzling out.

Primo and Gina looked starstruck and determined to master this secret ability Taylor had just revealed to them, and began to stare at the Magic Stones in their hands, concentrating on it and trying to mimic what the parahuman had just done.

The rest of the study group also focused intently onto their own training aides, doing their best to feel the magical energy within.

Nobody managed to figure it out after two intense hours of study, but Taylor had expected this. It’d taken her weeks to do this test, and that was with the parahuman cheating with her insane ability to multitask thanks to her swarm.

‘But once they can detect magic, it will make it easier to cast spells and conserve their Mind reserves in the Dungeon,’ Taylor thought to herself. The old witch who'd taught her might not be the strongest, but Taylor had a feeling that she was the wisest and most knowledgeable magic user in all of Orario.

After all, this very method Taylor was passing on to her Familia members had been taught to her and invented by the witch, and she could confirm its effectiveness.

“I think that’s all for now,” Taylor called out as the sun crept higher into the sky. “It’s almost noon. Let’s take a break. Headaches won’t help you learn faster.”

Everyone agreed with that, some more reluctantly than others, and everyone decided to have some sandwiches in order to fill their rumbly tummies.

When her lunch was finished, Taylor planned on meeting with Shakti next. There were a couple of reasons for that, but the foremost one was the desire to see Anne’s egg hatch. It would happen soon, and she didn’t want to miss it.

To that end, Taylor grabbed a pouch, filled it with a few things from her room, and then left, heading to the bizarrely decorated building that housed the famous elephant-themed Familia.

“Did I miss it?” Taylor wondered as she walked into Shakti’s personal quarters within the Familia compound. The guards at the front door had let her in without fuss, having gotten used to her presence.

“No, but it’s close,” Shakti said, looking down at the egg sac that lay within a temperature regulated glass tank. The gooey bubble-like egg was a pale blue and semi-transparent, with a dark shape visible within, twitching every so often.

Through her power, Taylor was able to sense the nascent mind about to be born. It wasn’t anything like the anger-filled Killer Ants of the Dungeon. It felt like a regular larval ant but with a bit… more. The parahuman wasn’t sure why that was, but the mind, while not sapient, was a lot more intelligent than a regular ant.

‘It reminds me of Chris,’ Taylor thought. The Crystal Mantis’ mind was developing quickly and was now far more whole than it had been months ago when she had first taken control of him. Right now, Chris was as intelligent as a dog, able to follow orders from people other than herself and possessing emotions of his own.

Eager to find out what Anne’s child would be like, Taylor stared at the egg sac for a bit before wrenching her gaze away and turning towards Shakti.

“Thank you for taking care of her.”

“Of course,” Shakti said with a nod. “Least I could do, especially after you got us more Blue Papillion.”

Taylor nodded. She’d dragged up five more from the Dungeon the day before yesterday with members of the Ganesha Familia, and there were signs that some of the previously domesticated Blue Papillion, as well as a couple Purple Moths, might be about to lay eggs already.

“I have some things I wanted to give you,” Taylor told the other captain, and handed over the first item. It was Jura’s red whip. Useless to her, but an actual Tamer like Shakti could likely use it.

“What is this?” Shakti asked, taking the whip from Taylor.

“Some sort of magical tool that was in the possession of a rogue Tamer,” Taylor said, careful to leave Evilus out of her response. She trusted Shakti, but had no idea if there were any others in the Familia who might have looser loyalty. “It was able to summon a monster – a Lambton in this instance – and control it.”

“Interesting,” Shakti muttered, examining it closely. “I can feel some magic coming from it that reminds me of what I use with my Tamer Ability.”

“I’m not really used to using a whip, but I can learn,” the Ganesha Familia’s Captain replied after studying the weapon for a bit longer, before giving Taylor a grateful nod. “Thank you.”

“The second thing is a bit… odd,” Taylor claimed, taking a small booklet out next.

Intrigued, Shakti took it, finding it to be a children’s book if the big words and colorful pictures were anything to go by. However, the title caused her to frown.

“The Lonely Harpy?” Shakti muttered.

She flipped it open and began to read, finding the subject to be about a young Harpy ‘who wasn’t like the others.’ The Harpy didn’t fit in with the other monsters, because she could talk and liked to wear pretty clothes. One day, she found a lost boy and saved him, and together they had an adventure, complete with morals and life lessons. The story ended with the Harpy being accepted by the boy and his village and everyone lived happily ever after.

“Taylor… what is this?” Shakti asked, looking up at the author.

“Does the word ‘Xenos’ mean anything to you?” Taylor replied, answering Shakti’s question with a question of her own.

“How-?” Shakti gasped, before shaking her head. “No. You must have been told about them.”

“I met a few,” Taylor replied. “Courtesy of a Guild employee named Fels.”

“I can definitely see why Fels would want to have you meet the Xenos,” the other captain grunted. “Aside from the Ganesha Familia, you’re the only other ‘Tamer’ in Orario who’s as high-profile as we are, and the only person who allows monsters to wander the streets openly.”

She gestured to the picture book. “Can you explain what this is, though?”

“Like I told Fels, whatever scheme he and the Guild are coming up with to make monsters seem more acceptable to the populace of Orario, it won’t work like they intend,” Taylor stated. “The Monsterphilia and the zoo you’ve got going isn’t a bad start, but it creates negative connotations that monsters are meant to be caged.”

“And this story is supposed to change that?” Shakti guessed.

“The idea is to make children, the future, be more aware of the possibility of sapient monsters,” Taylor replied. “It’s a long-term plan, decades of work at least, but the picture books are a start, don’t you think?”

Shakti looked from Taylor down at the book, scrutinizing it. Taylor had made the whole thing on her own using her swarm to draw the pictures and write the words, and it had a surprisingly high-quality for something made by hand, so to speak.

It wasn’t a bad idea. In fact, it was very much a well-thought-out plan that was looking at the future and aimed at changing the minds of the adventurers of tomorrow rather than the current generation. Ingrained biases would be hard to break, but this way there would be a starting point.

“I’m annoyed I didn’t think of it first,” Shakti admitted after a moment. “It won’t be easy, but I can see the benefits of this method.”

She glanced up, looking the parahuman in the eyes. “How do you plan to start?”

“There are orphanages in the city, aren’t there? I was thinking of testing out the story on them, first,” Taylor replied. “If that goes well I’ll try to get copies sold around Orario.”

“You have my personal support. And likely the Guild’s already,” Shakti said. “I’ll show this to Lord Ganesha later, but I don’t think he’ll disagree with me that this is a good idea, and a better one that we currently have. The Familia will back you up as well.”

“Thank you, that’s reassuring,” Taylor said, relieved to have the Ganesha Familia’s backing.

“Just keep the whole Xenos thing on the downlow,” Shakti requested. “Only a few people within my Familia know, same with the Guild. You’re the first outsider who’s been brought in on this.”

“Understood,” Taylor said within a nod.

“How many can you make?” Shakti wondered after a moment.

“Probably a hundred a day if I focus on nothing else,” Taylor admitted, and her fellow captain stared at her.

“Not even surprised anymore,” Shakti sighed.

Before they could say or do anything else, however, the parahuman’s head snapped towards the terrarium.

“It’s time,” she whispered, and Shakti turned to look at the ant egg as well. It was wobbling back and forth, and then suddenly it ruptured, blue goo spilling everywhere, from which a large white ant larva spilled out.

It was significantly larger than a regular ant, about the size of Taylor’s hand, and she could feel hunger and curiosity radiating from its rudimentary mind.

Taylor took out a Magic Stone, a leftover from the magic lesson earlier, and dropped it into the terrarium. The newborn attacked it, devouring the stone quickly.

“It will need more than just Magic Stones,” Taylor said. “Got any meat?”

“Sure,” Shakti said. She grabbed an entire T-bone steak out of a mini-fridge and tossed it into the tank.

Both captains watched as the larva locked in on it, attacking the meaty offering with gusto. It somehow managed to eat half of the giant steak, and was radiating contentment through the link.

“Hmm, interesting,” Shakti muttered. “It ate more of it than I thought it could.”

“Ant larva eat solid prey which is brought into the colony by workers. Protein is preferred so it can build up mass in order to pupate,” Taylor said.

“Pupate? Like, a pupa? Like what moths and butterflies do?” Shakti asked, surprised.

“Yes. The ant life cycle goes egg, larva, pupa, and then eventually worker, soldier, or queen,” Taylor explained. “Some ants turn into queens when there are no other queens around, so there’s a chance this one will transform into a queen, just like Ann did.”

“Interesting theory,” Shakti hummed. “What are you gonna call it?”

“Annette,” Taylor said after a moment, deciding on a name for her newly hatched Killer Ant.

“A lovely name,” Shakti replied. Taylor nodded. It was indeed a lovely name. It was her mother’s name.

“Nothing can ruin this moment,’ she thought to herself as she admired the ant larva as it digested its meal.

Except Taylor was almost immediately proven wrong when somebody knocked frantically on the door.

“Lady Shakti! Lady Shakti!” the messenger gasped out as he burst into the room. “They’re here! Rakia is finally here!”

Taylor glared at the newcomer and Shakti sighed.

“Earlier than expected by a whole day,” she muttered. “How annoying. Messes up some of our plans.”

She then pointed at the messenger. “Order the Familia to be on high alert! Have the guards at the gates seal the entrances to Orario! Instruct the Guild to prepare for wartime regulations and laws! And get everyone ready to patrol the streets to keep the populace calm and peaceful!”

“Right away!” her Familia member exclaimed with a salute before rushing off to relay her orders.

“Care to join me on the walls?” Shakti asked, and Taylor nodded, moving Annette from the terrarium to her shoulder.

“Let’s see what all the fuss is about,” she replied, and the two of them strode out from the manor into the streets of Orario.

So far, nobody seemed to be panicking. In fact, most of the civilians didn’t seem to be afraid at all, trusting in the power of the Familias to protect them. Which was understandable, the adventurers were powerful.

But as Taylor ascended the steps of the western wall and looked out at the army spread out across the landscape, she couldn’t help but feel worried.

Fifty thousand. A not insignificant number. There probably hadn’t been fifty thousand parahumans in all of Earth Bet leading up to Gold Morning.

And while Brockton Bay had had seven times that number of people before Leviathan, and Orario had a population of approximately a million souls, only a fraction of those were adventurers. And Taylor strongly doubted there were fifty thousand adventurers within the city’s walls.

In the end, a fight between Rakia and Orario would come down to quality over quantity. How many mundane soldiers could a Level 2 take out before being overwhelmed? What would the kill count of a Level 7 be like?

Rakia’s army stretched across the horizon and crowded around the western road to the city. Red banners decorated with two crossed black swords were held aloft, red pennants snapping the breeze.

Consisting mainly of infantry, there were a few cavalry units here and there. Heavy cavalry formed the vanguard while light horsemen patrolled along the flanks and kept watch on the supplies, which were loaded up into carts and wagons and pulled by everything from donkeys and mules to horses and camels.

The elites of their force, the Level 1s and 2s, were clad in heavy black full plate armor which looked impressive and somewhat intimidating. The rest of the soldiers, the ones without a Falna, wore red and black armor that resembled what the ancient Roman legionnaires had worn, but with slight modifications here and there. Mainly in the form of longer greaves to protect the legs and larger bracers for the arms.

As they approached the civilians still outside were being evacuated by the Guild and the Ganesha Familia. Finally, the grand gates were sealed shut, preventing entry to all.

Two hours later, and Rakia finally reached the walls of Orario, before stopping with perfect synchronicity just outside of spell or arrow range. Then, from out of the center of the army, a single man approached, carrying a white flag.

“Lord Ares wishes to Parley with the Gods of Orario!” the messenger called out, voice amplified by magic, or perhaps a Skill. “To discuss the terms of surrender, and failing that, the rules of engagement!”

‘That is more civilized than I was expecting,’ Taylor thought idly as Shakti dispatched a runner to relay Ares’ message.

It wasn’t long before several individuals arrived to join the two captains on the wall. Finn Deinme and Royman Mardeel stepped up beside them, the latter sweating heavily from the exertion.

“What now?” Taylor asked.

“We Parley,” Finn replied simply. “Come, let’s go see what they want.”

He then took a spear from a nearby guard, tied a scroll to the shaft, and then hurled it at the Rakian emissary. The weapon slammed into the ground next to him, causing the red armored man to flinch, but he recovered quickly and took the letter Finn had sent him.

The emissary ran back to the army while Finn and the others walked down to the gates which creaked opened to let them pass.

By the time they’d exited Orario’s western gates Ares had already sent men to set up a tent where they could speak, located in the No Man’s Land between the two sides.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!” a strong and pompous voice called out from within the tent, and Taylor got her first glimpse of the God of War.

Ares was tall, around six foot three inches tall, and had odd, goldish red colored hair that was rather messy with eyes the color of blood. He sat on an elegantly carved wooden throne lined with velvet cushions, and wore crimson armor trimmed with gold with a white furred cape. His aura was also rather loud to Taylor’s swarm, and was the ringing clamor of swords clashing against each other.

Despite this display, however, Taylor couldn’t help but feel something off when she looked at his eyes. There was no worry or doubt, just self-assurance and childish excitement at the thought of the imminent violence to come.

Feeling disquieted by the god’s gaze, Taylor focused on the others who were in the tent with him. There were five Level 2s, four of whom wore the heavy black armor and face obscuring helmets that were acting as bodyguards, while a single Level 3 stood next to Ares’ throne. There was also a second Level 3 hiding in the shadows, using some sort of Skill or Spell to render himself invisible.

The visible Level 3 was a burly figure, grizzled with scars all over his bald head, with a particularly nasty one down the left side of his face, nearly blinding him. His black armor was trimmed with red and he had a great sword strapped to his back that hummed with magic.

Meanwhile, the Level 2 who wasn’t armored stood off to the side near a table with a map of the city on it. He had neat blond hair, and instead of armor, he wore a black military uniform with gold epaulets, and his eyes carried exhaustion in them.

“I thought at least one of my fellow gods would come to greet me,” Ares said, looking around at the four people who entered his tent. “I’d heard Hestia descended recently. Surely the Goddess of the Hearth has some understanding of hospitality!”

“If you want to discuss things with Hestia, you can book an appointment with her, like everyone else,” Taylor said coldly, narrowing her eyes at the god’s words. “Otherwise, buzz off.”

Ares blinked as his guards bristled indignantly and the blond Level 2 gave Taylor an intrigued look. Meanwhile, Finn’s grin turned brittle while Shakti facepalmed and Royman sweated a little bit more due to nervousness.

“Huh. Seems the shorty got herself a loyal child,” Ares muttered, his surprised expression morphing into a feral grin as he leaned in to stare at Taylor. “Oh, yes. And an interesting one, too. Does she know that your hands are soaked in the blood of thousands of cowards, sinners, and innocents alike, mortal?”

“She knows,” Taylor replied curtly.

“Hestia always did have a habit of taking in stray mongrels,” the War God hummed, before leaning back in his throne, dismissing the parahuman for the moment.

“Why has Rakia come to Orario, Lord Ares?” Royman asked, speaking up as he dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief.

“I originally came here to investigate the strange happenings that have originated from within the city,” Ares claimed, with a smile that wouldn’t melt butter. “If the Dungeon’s seal is weakening, then perhaps it would benefit from the presence of some… extra hands?”

“A generous offer,” Finn said, with an equally insincere expression. “But Orario has no need of external aide. We have everything under control.”

“Yes, I’m sure. And the Poseidon Familia being recalled for the first time in fifteen years is simply to hear their tales of valor,” Ares drawled with a sneer. “I have fifty thousand troops, ready to ‘assist’ Orario. Along with some letters from other concerned gods and countries who are just as worried about the current state of the city and the Dungeon.”

“The actions of the Poseidon Familia are their own. As for these missives from others… we will treat their words with the consideration they deserve,” Finn said, his tone implying the answer to that was ‘none.’

“Well, if that’s the case, and you’re sure you don’t need my help, then I suppose I could be convinced to leave Orario… for a price,” Ares declared.

“And what would that be?” the Guildmaster inquired.

“Aside from rumors of weakening seals, I have also heard that a certain runaway has been making a name for himself,” Ares said. “A Magic Sword craftsman going by the alias of ‘Ignis.’”

He held out a hand. “Return him, and we’d be willing to negotiate a peaceful withdrawal from the city.”

“Welf Crozzo is not going anywhere,” Taylor replied instantly before anyone else could speak.

“The Crozzo bloodline belongs in Rakia,” the Level 3 general retorted. “The boy ran away but he will always be one of us.”

“Had he continued to be content to waste his talents I wouldn’t even bother asking for a failure like him, but since he has deigned to dabble in the creation of new types of Magic Swords… well, I cannot allow such an insult pass me by,” Ares declared, adding his own opinion to his general’s words.

“Welf Crozzo does not belong to you,” Taylor replied firmly. “Besides, if we’re on the topic of failures… well, considering you’ve tried five times to conquer the city and have nothing to show for it, who exactly is the ‘failure’ here?”

The adventurers all gawked at her, and Royman looked like he was on the brink of passing out. Ares, on the other hand, simply narrowed his eyes at her.

“I see,” he muttered darkly. “I think we’re done here.”

Finn nodded in agreement and the four of them hastily left the tent, heading back to Orario.

“It’s to be war, then,” Royman sighed.

“It was always going to lead to that,” Taylor replied with a scoff.

“Indeed. He may have kept his word and withdrawn had we done as he asked and Crozzo was handed over, but Lord Ares would have eventually returned in a decade or two armed to the teeth with Crozzo-grade Magic Swords,” Finn agreed. “Though I don’t exactly agree with how it came to this.”

“He’s the God of War, not Diplomacy,” Taylor shrugged, ignoring the look Finn and the rest were giving her. “He doesn’t understand anything other than blunt words and brute force.”

“Even so, please stop stressing us out like this, Taylor,” Shakti groaned. “I swear, we can’t take you anywhere, can we?”

Taylor rolled her eyes at that but didn’t bother trying to say anything in her defense. It was true, even if it wasn’t her fault! She just had bad luck, alright?