Chapter 41

It felt odd to prepare for a climb without rope or hooks. Thanks to the Slimeskin's ability to stick to surfaces, he no longer needed the latter. Diya bought dried meat, rye crackers, hard cheese, pungent soft cheese in a hard rind, nuts, and an assortment of dried fruits and berries. It was by far the most money he'd ever spent on rations.

Keeping morale high is vital when challenging Gaia's Ark. You could be lost or stuck on a floor for weeks. You either push on for another fight, hoping Gaia gifts you a gate for your efforts, or you turn back for a long, dangerous journey to the primary hub. A lovely mouthful of food can make all the difference at times like this. A burst of sweetness from a raisin or the slow-released juices of candied jerky might just change your mood enough to find light in the darkness.

Diya couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself. Even though he was much too young to read the true meaning behind Neer's words, Diya wished he'd found it in himself to reassure his older brother and provide comfort. Questions only appeared to anger everyone, but he wondered whether Baba had detected Neer's mental state. The journals only mentioned the tower and Diya. Neer rarely wrote about Baba.

Was their relationship not as solid as it seemed?

After purchasing a couple of bedrolls, Diya invested in a small folding pot. Dried meats and herbs could often turn wild grains into a hearty pottage. The Boleyns would turn their nose up at the meal but consume it anyway while delving. Diya, on the other hand, loved an excellent pottage. After some thought, he also purchased a small sack of lentils with a couple of pouches of Indian herbs and spices.

When Diya didn’t see Gwyneth at the meeting point, he continued to the Fair Trade Federation’s offices, hoping to thank Lydia for the inn. The receptionist turned him away, saying she’d be in meetings all day. He didn’t expect someone in her position to be available just after lunchtime and left a message. It wouldn’t surprise him if she had meetings from dawn to dusk. It didn’t explain how their fateful meeting had occurred, but he didn’t ponder too much on the matter.

“This will sell in no time,” Kartik claimed, studying Red Charger’s card. He was Diya’s last stop. “Physical enhancement upgrades are always in high demand, especially in the first, second and third intervals. This will interest Climbers scaling floors one to ten. It doesn’t matter what your soul type is. An augmentation, defence, or utility spell from something like this is always in high demand.”

“I’d be happy with a similarly aged trade as well,” Diya told him. “My companion’s soul is a lamp, and she has an elemental attack and utility spells. If there’s anything you find that can help her, it will be great.”

“That’ll be a challenge.” Kartik shook his head. “Decent elemental upgrade cards don’t come around until the fourth interval. The shamans and spirit callers might drop them earlier, but with everyone targeting them, they’re a rare find. I can look into metal manipulation, transformation, or something in a similar school. Sometimes the best defence is a good offence.”

“Whatever you think is best, Kartik,” Diya said. “I trust you not to screw over one of your countrymen.”

The old merchant scowled. “Listen here, boy.” He growled. “I’m an honest trader. I don’t mess with anybody, countrymen or not.” Then he grinned. “Blue-blooded snobs get a big markup, though. Fortunately, you’re not one of them. You don’t want poisons or toxins anymore?”

Diya shook his head. “I’m taking my soul in a different direction. I don’t think they’ll pair well with my soul anymore.”

“Suit yourself. I like casting a wide net when looking for trades. Sometimes you might want something powerful but on low demand for a steal. I’ve got to say, though, Diya. You’ve had a bout of insane luck to come across powerful cards as frequently as you are. Most Climbers spent years in the first interval before finding a decent upgrade or something decent to trade. What’s your secret?”

“I just take the path less travelled,” Diya told him. He refrained from mentioning Seek Powerful Beast, resolving to draw the runes on his right forearm where they’d stay hidden from view. “That’s all. I’ll be back in a few days. Alright?”

“Hold on a moment, Bhai,” Kartik said. “At least help me narrow down what you’d like for your soul?”

Diya sighed, wondering how much he could reveal to the merchant. After some thought, he manifested the pen and his gauntlet. “My soul focuses on ink constructs and inanimate summons.”

“So, perhaps you want to upgrade the self-enhancement spells so you can use them better?”

“I don’t have any. I’m on the hunt for decent spells—active and passive enhancements—but those are considerably easier to find than compatible monster cards.”

“I think you shouldn’t turn your back on toxins or acids yet,” Kartik commented, staring past Diya, eyes unfocused. “With summons and constructs, their integrity is often the primary concern. If you’re going down the route, I imagine you’ve already solved the issue?”

Diya nodded. “More or less.”

“Fine. I’ll look out for monster cards with aura effects, too. Go on, now. I have other concepts, too.”

Baba trusted the man, so Diya didn’t push the conversation further and headed for the meat-on-a-stick stall by the tower’s entrance. Gwyneth wasn’t there yet. Guessing that her meeting was running late, Diya slumped down against the nearby wall and got his notebook out. He had too many questions and took a minute to make a note of them.

Diya had too many questions after meeting with Explorer and then chatting with Baba. He had made a habit of ignoring every negative thing Baba said about Neer. Hearing the man imply that he had failed with his upbringing of Neer had struck a nerve.

Baba isn’t telling me everything.
Who was Neer?
Who is Explorer?

Diya believed that his discovery of the ground-floor ruins and Neer’s carvings was too much of a coincidence as well. Now that he thought about it, it felt all too coincidental.

A sudden poke to Diya’s side snapped him out of his momentary daze. He found a person wearing a mask over their nose and mouth, looking down at him. It wasn’t until they pulled down their hood, revealing their frizzy red hair did he realise it was Gwyneth.

“You made a smart decision not summoning your coat,” she said. “Even though I’ve reported the De Lawneys, it’ll take some time before the city council reacts. So, it’s for the best if we maintain our anonymity.”

“I didn’t plan on summoning it until we got to the fourth floor.”

“You might as well wait until we’re clear of the hub, too. It will be teaming with De Lawney. They don’t know your face, I think, but if fewer people are watching you, there won’t be as many eyes on me either.”

The new climbing party quickly inspected their equipment and supplies before entering Gaia’s Ark. Gwyneth kept her head down, hood and mask up, keeping her face concealed. Diya maintained a casual gait, but his lack of equipment drew the local merchants’ attention. They tried to hawk clothing, tools, fire-starting kits, and armour. Diya rejected them all.

“What am I going to do with a walking stick?” Gwyneth asked when he handed her the bladed staff.

“I’m going to train you to use it,” Diya replied.

“Why? I’ve already upgraded my soul—”

“How many casts did you get out of your lightning before running dry?”

“I—” Gwyneth paused, brows furrowing. “Honestly? I forgot to count.”

“It wasn’t a lot, though, was it?”

Gwyneth shook her head. “I’m speedy with Floating Follower. It gives me decent control over Lamp. The shaman’s card upgraded Metal Guard, too. It’ll adapt to the effects of whatever light the lamp is currently channelling.”

“That’s good for defence at melee range, but if you get overwhelmed, will it be enough? We need to think about how we’ll function as a team. Most parties have a vanguard drawing the enemy’s attention—whether that be a single foe or a horde. He’ll always have one or two supporters who either enhance him or disrupt and slow the foes. Finally, there are the damage dealers—”

“I know how parties work, Diya!” Gwyneth exclaimed. “I’ve been climbing longer than you have. Get to whatever point you’re making already.”

“We won’t be a traditional party with just the two of us. Our tactics will rely on trapping or ambushing large beasts and then ripping through their defences together. However, things won’t always go to plan. If a horde or opposing hunting party gets on us, I’ll have to play the vanguard role. If there are too many, some might get by me. Lamp and your spells might help against one or two, but what will you do if there are more?”

“I… I don’t know.” She sighed.

“I’ve helped my father train spoiled nobles for most of my life,” Diya said. “They learnt how to use the sword, and I played with everything else. Staves are amongst the easiest weapons.”

“But why is there a blade and metal guard on it?” Gwyneth asked, studying the hand-sized, one-sided blade on it. It had a sharp point for stabbing and a cruel curve for slashing attacks. Below it, metal studs covered a third of the staff. “It makes it so much heavier.”

“For your lightning enchantment, of course. The material will see us through to floor ten, and it’s cheap enough for a starter weapon. As for the weight, you’ll get used to it with some training. Believe me. A good stave can save a life.”

“Fine.” Gwyneth rolled her eyes. “There’s no arguing with you.”

Whatever money Gwyneth had, she had spent on under-armour to go with her coat. The shoulder, breast and arm padding would dull blows from troglodytes and lizard people. Diya hoped she wouldn’t need its help since he expected her to stay behind him at all times while he kept their foes busy.

Even though Diya wanted to take a day off, he and Gwyneth had targets they wanted to achieve as soon as possible. He needed to find more Omrito, and she worried the De Lawneys would discover her father’s caches before them.

By the time the pair reached the Gate Room, Diya couldn’t wait to distance himself from people. The Bound Gate's line was shorter than usual. As a result, they only had to wait a handful of heart-pumping minutes before stepping onto the fourth floor.

"I was expecting them to increase the guard," Gwyneth said her back stiffening. "It'll be a while before the council acts on my report, but the De Lawneys should know I'm free. Someone must have seen me yesterday, as well."

"Your party hasn't reported in either,” Diya said. “If they survived, do you think they might try to lie low too? I bet the house doesn't want negative attention from the council. What if they're biding their time?"

"I think you're right," she said, taking his hand. "Let’s pretend we're together. Be charming and flirtatious until we exit the hub."

"Do you think that will work?" Diya laughed. He took it one step further and slipped an arm around her shoulder as they walked. Gwyneth's back stiffened for a second, but then she chuckled and kept moving. "We've got to sell it since you're wearing a mask. I doubt hand holding will sell it."

'That might be so, but considering my attire, this makes you look like a creep."

"Are you afraid a zealous nobleman will step forward to protect your honour?" Diya asked.

Gwyneth nodded. "Probably won't be one of the De Lawneys, though, so we should be fine." She looked around. No one spared them more than a glance. People were too busy to care about an underdressed man and an overdressed woman. "We need to be careful not to run into any of them in the field. I'm sure they'll want to put me down for besmirching their name. Then they'll target you for being with me."

"There might be some scorn for costing the house a Climbing party too."

Gwyneth didn't respond. Instead, she moved closer to him and kept her eyes on Diya. The pair exited the hub and followed a well-trodden path into the hills. They kept close to one another but occasionally glanced over their shoulders to ensure that no one was trailing them.

The pair sighed their relief in unison once the hub and frontier town surrounding it disappeared behind the glowing trees. Gwyneth eagerly lowered her mask and hood. Diya summoned his coat, welcoming its weight on his shoulders. It was much lighter than Baba's old garment, but the summon still gave him a much-needed sense of security. Then he called forth his gauntlet, too. He missed having a walking stick and wondered whether using a future summon slot for a spear would be a good idea. As good as the axe was, he preferred keeping foes at a distance.

“That’s an ugly gauntlet,” Gwyneth commented.

“You won’t say so when you see what it can do,” Diya replied.

“Function doesn’t fix visual appeal. But, if it gets us through the interval, I suppose the looks don’t matter. Have you tested the Stiffen and Stick commands yet?”

“Not as much as I’d like. This floor serves as a decent testing ground, though.”

Gwyneth nodded. “Gaia gifted me a lamp because of my time on here—”

“How did you access the fourth floor without a soul?” Diya asked, interrupting her.

“I was born in the Gaia’s Ark, Diya,” she answered after a long pause. “I’ve spent most of my life here. Arthur couldn’t tell whether it was my love of reading in the dark or exploring in it that made Gaia gift me a lantern. Anyway, what’s the plan?”

“I was hoping this would help us find us a gate,” Diya said, pulling out the FTF compass. “I asked around. They used to have a base here.”

“That won’t help you. The De Lawneys control every door near here. First, we need to find Arthur’s cache. If we’re lucky, it might have a gate nearby."

“Let's find something big to kill, anyway,” Diya said. “I suppose it’s time I show you the second half of my hollow soul, too.”