Chapter 37

A warmth washed over Diya’s body, and the black ink blossomed from around his feet. It washed over the room, wiping everything away. Then he was back on the third floor and looking at the sky. Barely any time had passed.

“Hey!” He called, stirring Gwyneth.

“What?” She demanded, almost jumping out of her skin. “Don’t do that.”

“I thought you’d fallen asleep,” Diya said. “When you used the monster card, did Gaia give you an option?”

A smile spread across Gwyneth’s face as she nodded. “She gave me a choice of which I wanted to make my primary focus: lightning or healing. What did she offer you?”

“Slimeskin and Slimejuice. I picked the former.”

“That confirms yours is a hollow soul too,” Gwyneth said. “I knew it. The card’s compatibility must be exceptionally high too. The latter choice would’ve been more damaging against organic foes. Considering how you fought the slime, Slimeskin probably suits you best.”

“What the hell is it?” Diya asked, hoping she’d confirm his hypothesis.

“People don’t particularly understand slimes, but multiple researchers have confirmed that they don’t have any skin or membrane containing the bodily fluids.” Gwyneth stretched as she explained. The day appeared to have taken a toll on her, too. “No, naturally occurring beast on our planet can match a slime’s existence. It’s an organism made of liquid that can hold a shape without a container and change its viscosity and surface texture. I imagine Slimeskin relates to such abilities. I reckon that’s what’ll benefit your soul the best.”

“That’s good and all, but this doesn’t match any records of how Gaia’s upgrade stations function. It was like I was transported elsewhere. She took the decision to reject the card out of my hands.” Diya summoned the pen and held it tight. “Not that I’m complaining. I couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect.”

“There is nothing wrong with being curious.” Gwyneth shrugged. “Arthur used to say it means that the soul has found its most compatible partner. Gaia believes the likelihood of you finding anything better is low to none. So, she wants you to commit.”

“Holy shit,” Diya whispered to himself as another wave of warmth spread through his body, washing away the weightiness from before. He felt himself getting stronger, and the tightness in his muscles and joints disappeared. It was more than that. Diya could feel his soul sharper than ever before. Before, it had just been there, hanging around at the back of his mind like an afterthought. Now it radiated and pulsed on an ephemeral level. The fountain pen was a part of him, an extension of his being.

“You’re not telling me everything about your soul,” Gwyneth said. “There’s more to it, isn’t there?”

“Well, I barely know you,” Diya replied. “We allied to take down this one beast, but that doesn’t mean we’ll always be on the same side.” Gwyneth glared at him with her hands on her hips. “You haven’t told me much about yours either.”

“Fine.” She sighed. Gwyneth’s soul appeared next to her. Its golden light appeared dimmer than before. “Gaia calls it Seeker’s Lantern, but I prefer Lamp. Apparently, it’s tied to some entity called Keeper of Knowledge, and those that work for him are called Seekers. Unlike most tool types, it’s got four keywords: Floating Follower, Metal Guard, Knowledge Seeker, and Light in the Darkness. The last one is the hollow bit of my soul.”

“And after the shaman’s card, Light in the Darkness, gives you access to three spells?”

Gwyneth nodded. “Yes, but I can only use one kind of light at a time. Spark Light gives me an attack spell and the enchantment. Healer’s Cantae results in the healing aura.”

“That’s pretty useful,” Diya commented. “It’s a shame you can’t use the healing aura at the same time, though.”

“It’s not actually,” Gwyneth replied. “Lamp contains a finite amount of each light at a time. It’s why I could use the healing aura even after exhausting all of my Spark Light. Enough about me. Now it’s your turn.”

“I never said I’d reciprocate—”

“Don’t be an arsehole!”

Diya laughed. “Fine. Fine. I was just joking. Runewright lets me use ink to inscribe surfaces with runes to fulfil a set purpose. I only have a handful of runes so far and am still figuring it out. The next keyword, Spell Thief, let me nullify up to ten spells or attacks a day and stores three at a time. I can use them myself, but they’ll be made of ink and half as strong as the original. However, Runewright lets me change their nature using runes I’ve discovered.”

“That explains the spear and the net,” Gwyneth said, brows furrowing. “Those caught me off guard.”

“Mimic fused with Spell Thief,” Diya continued, thinking about Explorer talking to him using Neer’s form. It had angered him at first, but now he wanted to return to the fountain room as soon as possible. “Now I can copy items, too, or create them from scratch out of Slimeskin. Finally, there’s the Living Inkwell. Much like your light, it fuels my runes and spells. Now, it will let me store two inanimate summons, too.”

Gwyneth stared at him with her hands on her hips. “There’s more to it, and you’re not telling me.”

“What? I’ve told you everything—”

“How do you modify these stolen spells? How will you create these items? You’ve explained the workings of half a hollow soul.”

“I can’t tell you anymore,” Diya answered. “There are certain secrets I’d like to keep.”

“So, it’s a two-card hollow soul then,” She stated, matter-of-factly. “Those take a while to get good. Mostly due to the limits to deck size.”

“It wasn’t too big an issue so far. I struggled more with what tier-one card to have on my deck.”

“Well, you’re a tier-two Climber now. Struggling to pick a tier one card is beneath you now.”

Diya drew his soul card from the tattoo on his forearm. The two sitting in the top left corner confirmed it. He recalled the formula the Boleyn tutor had taught him. He could now carry one tier-two card and two tier-one cards. At tier-three, Gaia would let him carry one tier-three card, two tier-two cards, and three tier-one cards. Now that his deck size had grown to six, Diya planned to use Ensnaring Vines, Mole’s Claws, and Burst of Strength. He still needed to think about what tier-zero card he’d use to fill the final slot.

“Did you meet anyone while absorbing the card? Perhaps an apparition?”

“No.” Gwyneth raised an eyebrow. “Gaia spoke to me as she always does, asking me to choose between the two pedestals.”

Grasping Vines and Frozen Ink Lance appeared the same as they did in the vision. Blunt attacks failed to damage them. Diya hacked at the Slimeskin vines with his axe, and the weapon cut through them. However, half the ink constructs rejoined where he had cut them. He ran through the different commands Explorer had taught him, too: Stick, Stiffen, Relax. The last command dispelled the effects of the first two.

All tiredness appeared to have left Gwyneth as she intently watched the Slimeskin shift and transform. “Does that feel good?” She asked.

Diya nodded. “I feel strong. It feels like—”

“Like everything you faced until now was trivial, and you can barrel through them without issue?”

Diya nodded, picturing himself in a coat of black ink while holding the ink spear. He turned his attention back to the upgrade station, taking Eirkh's Card out of his pocket. Much to his surprise, the stone monolith didn't respond.

"What are you doing?" Gwyneth asked.

"It’s a tier-three card," Diya answered. "I was hoping to get a head start. ”

"Gaia won't let you upgrade your soul again until you reach the next interval. More specifically, you need to get through the sixth floor before she lets you use another upgrade station. Arthur believed it was to keep the rich from buying their way to power. Gaia prefers that we earn our way forward."

"I know that much." Diya sighed. "It wouldn’t hurt to find out what the card has to offer, though. How about we get out of here, then? I can't wait to bathe and get a proper meal in me."

"Same here," Gwyneth replied. "I hope the De Lawneys don't have too many people in the primary hub. We need to get out before they can home in on me."

"And you'll be safe outside the tower?"

She nodded, accepting Diya’s help to climb the inky rope. "They don't mess with the city guard or council. I'm going to report what they were doing to me straight away. It should act as a deterrent." Once she was safe, Diya followed her up. “Tell me about this apparition you met, though.”

“It wasn’t anything important. After I made my decision, a shadow appeared to demonstrate how the upgrade would work.” Diya decided to keep the truth to himself. He didn’t want Gwyneth asking too many questions.

The ground shook suddenly. A tree fell a little way ahead, and the earth parted. Neither Diya nor Gwyneth expressed surprise when a stone door rose out of it. He had expected as much. They had both upgraded their souls, and the local creatures were likely too weak for them. Gaia wanted the pair to move on and leave her children alone. However, Diya found the timing odd.

Quite a while had passed since he absorbed Uzeth’s card. He glanced back at the odd gate connecting the third floor to the shrine and wondered whether the tampering had played a role in it. As much as he wanted to go back and study the wall carvings, they needed to move on. The door to the next floor opened, and the pair walked through.

A starry sky awaited them on the other side. Tall, bioluminescent mushrooms and ferns surrounded the gates. Fireflies and other strange insects buzzed around the buildings that formed the floor’s primary hub.

“I never thought it’d be this beautiful,” Diya commented, looking at the glowing forest that lined the clearing.

“The forest of eternal night,” Gwyneth said. “It’s a beautiful sight, but we can’t very well be standing around where someone might recognise me.” She took Diya’s hand, pulling him away from the gate. “You get used to it after a couple of visits.”

“You’ve been here before?”

“Thanks to Arthur, I pretty much lived in the tower. I got my soul at fifteen, and I’ve been exploring with him and the De Lawneys for six years.” She pulled harder when Diya resisted. “I’m serious, though. The De Lawneys are making a play for this floor. Someone could recognise me. Keep moving.”

Now that he knew what to look for, the twin-shield symbol marked most of the buildings and a good deal of the vehicles. The pair moved quickly, keeping low and avoiding the guards as much as possible. Diya didn’t need to sneak around, but he worried Gwyneth’s abandoned allies might have survived, so he kept his head down.

Diya’s heartbeat picked up while in a queue for the Binding Stone. There were a lot more people than he would’ve liked. The De Lawneys had built a pub not far from the stone sphere. It surprised him that they weren’t charging people to use Gaia’s commodity. Then again, the corrupt noble house, most likely, needed people to return to the floor as often as possible.

The rowdy crowd reminded Diya of the pubs he and Alexander frequented. His chest tightened as he thought of his old party. Things were good before Edgar joined them. Lawrence wasn’t the worst person to have around, but Diya loved it most when it was just the three of them.

It took half an hour to bind themselves to the floor and return to the door. The pair didn’t make any eye contact with anyone—it didn’t matter whether they wore the twin-shield crest or not. It was a similar story in the primary hub as they marched to the exit.

As soon as they exited Gaia’s Ark, Gwyneth ran off the bridge into Climber’s Market and slumped down against a wall. She breathed in deeply and then exhaled.

“It smells worse than how I remember it,” she said, smiling up at Diya. “Thank you for sticking with me.”

“Should we call it even? We both got the soul upgrade we needed and escaped reasonably unharmed.” Diya looked down at his hands. The rawness from plunging his hands in the slime lord was mostly gone. The tempering had added to the healing aura’s effects. Diya knew he’d wake up stronger, faster and more resilient the following day. “In fact, if you intend on climbing, I’d very much like to join you.”

“Do you mean it? We don’t know each other very well.”

“Yes,” Diya said, nodding. “Your knowledge of Gaia’s Ark, cards, and souls is pretty great. However, you appear to lack martial training and traversal skills. They happen to be my strong suit. Our spells and my fighting style should combine incredibly as well.”

“Is that all?” She asked, chuckling. “I’m feeling really special right now.”

“No. You were a more reliable companion back there than most would’ve been.” Diya felt his ears redden as he spoke. “It feels like I can trust you to watch my back. Things will get incredibly hard in the second interval, and I’d like someone—”

“Why do you climb, Diya?” Gwyneth interrupted him. “What is it you’re after? Strength? Power? Money?”

“Not quite, but those would be a pleasant bonus.” Diya needed allies, but he couldn’t decide whether or not to tell her the truth. If he wanted partners, trust and honesty were of paramount importance. “My father used to work for the Anson family. My brother joined their employ too as a Climber in a forward expedition team. He disappeared almost ten years ago.” Diya sighed. “The Ansons accused him of a dozen heinous crimes afterwards and kicked my father and me out of the household. I believe Gaia’s Ark holds the truth.”

“Is that all?” Gwyneth raised an eyebrow.

“No,” Diya answered. “More recently, my closest friend took a nasty blow to the head. The healers aren’t sure whether they can fix him. Some say that even if he survives, he’ll spend the rest of his life as a vegetable. I’d like to find a fix.”

“Oh, wow!” She exclaimed, exhaling loudly. “I was just kidding. The first bit was heavy enough.”

“What about you?” Diya asked. “What’s pushing you onward?”

“Despite my rocky relationship with Arthur, I’d like to continue his work. The De Lawneys forced it on me first since only I could read his cypher, but I’ve warmed up to it.”

Gwyneth staggered to the pavement's side, looking around at the people in the market. When the nearby stall owner asked whether she was okay and offered her a grilled boar on a stick, Diya paid for it.

“To keep some things to himself, Arthur hid caches of cards, cores and research littered around the tower. I’d like to find them.” She continued after taking a bite of the snack. After swallowing her first mouthful, Gwyneth moaned loud enough to embarrass Diya. “It's mutual. I think I can trust you, too. It would’ve been easier and probably smarter to abandon me back there, but you didn’t. Even though I held up my end of the bargain, it still feels like I owe you. So, yes. I will climb with you, Diya. You help me with my goals, and I’ll do the same for you.”