Yukiho held onto the beast’s Core. It shone brighter than the ones Bunty had seen in the market but didn’t have the same splendour as Eirkh’s. Considering the mole’s size, it had most likely crossed a century in age. Bunty had no interest in it, though. He was sure it wouldn’t give him the spells or summons he desired.

The party leader wasn’t interested in the hide and didn’t want to waste time on skinning. However, she and Koki removed the mole’s frontal claws and piled them onto Hina’s back. Bunty then saw her spirit for the first time since their meeting. Hina’s tattoo glowed white and gold before little dandelions appeared floating above her palms. They danced in the cavern’s air currents for a moment before drifting into the gaps between the claws.

“They make things lighter,” Hina said. “Not the most useful ability in a fight but gets me porter jobs.”

“That’s a shame,” Bunty said. “With the right Core, you could do so much with it. What’s the focus?”

“Utility and defensive summons as the major. Offensive and utility spells as the minor.” Hina sighed. “I haven’t figured out many practical uses for it yet, but a decent Core will go a long way. I bet that once I find a decent one, my spirit will take the first couple of intervals by storm.”

Bunty shot her a sympathetic smile. He liked Hina. She had proven herself as honest and trustworthy. It didn’t sit well with him that Mei and Yukiho had run when Koki fell. They belonged to the same clan. As far as he knew, it meant they were blood. He couldn’t imagine leaving family behind. When he turned back to help him, Hina had followed. Bunty believed she deserved better. Gaia must’ve seen something special within her to give her a plant spirit.

It bothered Bunty that Koki hadn’t confronted his party members about leaving him behind. He sat silently with Mei and Yukiho, nibbling on a bread roll. Using her augmentation and summon in combat had tired out Mei. So, they were taking a moment to eat, hydrate and rest before continuing. Bunty had his doubts about them. It didn’t sit well with him that they wanted to employ people but only compensate with passage. No wonder they were struggling to find a rock climber before he came along.

“Try to get in good with them Hina,” Bunty said, lowering his voice. “Since you’re of Japanese descent, I think they trust you. Work the idea of accompanying them into the second interval into compensation. Offer to carry all of their loads and show how you can help them profit by carrying more loot to hubs for sale.”

“I can’t get past floor five without Upgrading my spirit though,” she replied, matching Bunty’s volume.

“Exactly. If you prove yourself as an invaluable member of the party, they’ll want to keep you around. You might be inexperienced, but you know other Climbers and the city. Am I right?”

Hina nodded.

“If you can prove yourself as an asset, they’ll sort out a Core for you. Use them to train in combat and get stronger but watch your back. Once you’re comfortable, part ways with the party and make your own way. Yukiho and Mei ditched Koki back there. If things get scary, they might do the same to you.”

Hina readjusted her pack’s straps and glanced at Yukiho warily. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because we’re in the same boat,” Bunty said. “We both have unfavourable spirits. I’m fortunate enough to have trained and nurtured skills that let me overcome mine. You, on the other hand, have a spirit with a unique ability and are good at getting along with strangers. If we want to climb, we have to use the tools at our disposal.” The Itos started packing their belongings away and getting back on their feed, so he hurried the conversation along. “Besides, you’re good people. I don’t want you stuck in this interval forever, working for people like them that treat people like commodities.”

Hina fell silent as the others approached. “We were just discussing your fighting style, Bunty,” Yukiho told him. “Koki says he never thought axe play could be so graceful. He’d like to know where you learned to fight like that?”

“My father is a former climber that’s been up to the seventh interval and a swordmaster,” Bunty answered, changing his mind about keeping his background a secret. “He teaches the nobility swordplay, and I’ve been their sparring partner all of my life. They learned to defend against a variety of weapons using blades. I was the one that had to gain proficiency with a variety of weapons.”

Yukiho translated the information for Koki. The young man nodded and bowed to Bunty, speaking a few words. “Koki would like to thank you for saving his life. It was a brave thing you did, risking your life for someone weaker and less able.”

Bunty returned the bow. Mei’s fighting style had been all flash and little substance. She had displayed some impressive marksmanship by hitting the mole in and around the nose, and her acrobatic skills were on point. However, her display, when mounting the mole came across as fool-hardy and poorly thought out. Koki, on the other hand, displayed near-perfect form and flawless technique. Bunty believed the young man would match him in a duel but lose to Alexander. As a result, he deserved respect.

Mei smiled Bunty and passed a couple of comments. Hina’s right eye twitched, and Yukiho didn’t translate. Instead of bowing to the young woman, Bunty gave her a polite nod. The smile disappeared from her face.

Yukiho didn’t seem to care that their way back was blocked off. She claimed that her ancestor had constructed the shrine not far from a door. If they made it to their destination, the party wouldn’t need a way back. Mei, Yukiho and Ito took the lead. The fox spirit continued to provide illumination with its wisps, and Bunty watched them entranced.

Hina filled Bunty in on the information she had gathered while talking to the Itos and through eavesdropping. Mei was the clan head’s niece. Due to her reputation, the Ito clan had hired Yukiho to guide Mei to find the best Cores for her spirit. Koki, as the second son of a branch family, didn’t have such luxuries. He lucked out with his frog spirit but would have to fend for himself as far as Cores were concerned.

The clan rules dictated Yukiho couldn’t help in combat unless her wards’ lives were in danger. If she did interfere, any Cores gained from the battle would go to the clan and not Mei or Koki. The latter had expressed his displeasure that Yukiho had broken the rule for Mei. While on the first floor, the trio had come across a tribe of yeti. They had built a village around the shrine and worshipped it.

Mei had foolishly attacked the yeti since they had laid claim to the structure raised by her grandfather. Koki had gone in to save her but failed to get close. Yukiho had no option but to get involved. She slaughtered the yeti and gave the tribe shaman’s Core to Mei. She received a common augmentation from the Core, but the utility spell that enabled her to summon frost fire would prove invaluable going forward. Hina suspected that Yukiho was willing to let Koki die, so no one would ever find out about her breaking the rules.

The party encountered collapsed tunnels and broken bridges as they continued deeper into the second floor. Bunty couldn’t do much about the former. For the latter, he helped the party cross using his rope, grappling hook and exceptional climbing skills. Yukiho helped keep them on track using landmarks and signs left behind by previous clan members. Bunty discreetly fell behind and sketched them out. He intended to document as much as he could about the pilgrimage. The employment contract didn’t stop him from doing so. If he did find something of interest, the FTF would want to know.

While venturing through a forest of bioluminescent mushrooms, the party found themselves face to face with a group of armed troglodytes. They had axes, spears, and clubs, and were dragging a cow-sized mole behind them. Mei reached for her bow, and all hell broke loose. Unlike the ground-floor troglodytes, the specimens on the second floor were over-six feet tall, and their freakishly long arms bulged with muscle.

Hina didn’t fall back with Yukiho. She drew mace and stuck to Bunty’s side. Mei’s spirit disappeared as she activated her augmentation and half a dozen frost-fire wisps blinked into existence around her. Koki dashed into the charge, breaking apart the monsters’ wild formation. Bunty had confidence in his skill against human-sized opponents, so he used it as an opportunity to guide Hina instead.

“Release your spirit and use it to lower your mace’s weight,” he told her. “Practise releasing the dandelions just before you land your blow to maximise momentum.”

Much to Bunty’s surprise, Hina proved herself as a quick study. As the battle unfolded, he stuck close to her side, putting down troglodytes that tried to flank her. It took her a couple of tries before she got the hang of it and before long, Hina had opponents almost twice her size staggering from her blows. She over-extended a couple of times but used the two dozen released dandelions to keep her body light and agile. Bunty could foresee Hina doing incredible damage using a heavy two-handed weapon. She’d need some training, of course, but her excellent reflexes gave him hope.

Bunty kept an eye on Koki too. Yukiho would undoubtedly help Mei if she got in trouble, but he worried Hina’s hypothesis was correct. Koki didn’t need any help, though. He danced around the troglodytes, severing limbs, and destroying weapons with ease. Bunty couldn’t help but feel jealous, a weapon like Koki’s katana would make his life hell of a lot easier. It would most likely only last until the third interval, though. Following which, he’d need a new sword or employ a skilled artisan to upgrade it with a new Core.

Bunty had stepped away to fell a slingshot-user when Hina got overwhelmed. Troglodyte dual-wielding clubs went berserk when she dropped the last female in the monster group. He charged at her swinging wildly. Due to the troglodyte’s incredible reach, Hina could do nothing but retreat. It took experience and confidence to respond to such an attack, so Bunty had no option but to throw his axe. It struck the male’s shoulder, throwing him off-balance. Bunty charged in, summoned his spirit, and plunged it into the creature’s neck. Then he pulled it and his axe out, swung the pen splashing ink a bucketful of ink. The move didn’t blind the two approaching troglodytes but confused them. Bunty put down one and Hina the other.

The party didn’t get Cores from any of the beasts, and they had nothing of value. So, the party wiped the blood off their persons and carried on with their journey. Mei had suffered a scratch on her left-arm and ripped her yukata. Yukiho applied a scentless salve to the wound. Hina had earned a couple of trophies as well but didn’t get such service. Bunty gave her a sip of the healing concoction in his flask, and she accepted it graciously.