It was late afternoon by the time they reached the dead plant monster’s lair. Every bit of it that the lizardmen had left behind was now dry and crumbling into bits. The beast had deteriorated faster than he expected. Bunty regretted not securing a cutting. He would’ve liked to bring it back to the FTF. If they found a way to revive it or farm the creature, the aromatics and rejuvenating sac fluid could turn a neat profit.

As Bunty thought about it, Edgar’s spirit suddenly made sense. What if he had saved the plant creature with a cutting? Gaia could’ve rewarded the arsehole for the action. How else could he have landed a named plant spirit? His thoughts wandered back to Lord Graham. Despite everything that had happened, Bunty couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man. He was stuck with Edgar. The lordling changed his attitude like a stage actor did costumes. Sooner or later, the decision to support him would bite Lord Graham on the arse. Perhaps then Victoria would get her big break to take over as the leader of the house. The French already had women in powerful positions. It was time the British caught up.

“What the hell is an upgrade station doing here?” Gwyneth asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Bunty said, marching over to the monolith and pressing his hands against it.

Perhaps it’s not just Explorer that should be watching you.

Thief and Hunter would’ve appreciated your methods as well.

You slaughtered the six-hundred-year-old shaman, Zylik, and took his Core.

Absorbing it will temper your mind to function quicker and multi-task with ease.

The pen’s nib will learn the utility spell: Shocking Pick.

The metal shall extend, electrifying whatever it pokes.

Was that it? Gwyneth was right. The spirit’s compatibility with the shaman’s Core was much too low. Just the one utility spell made it a poor pairing. At this rate, he’d have no choice but to use Eirkh’s Core. Bunty had hoped his ink would get a healing power. It wasn’t what he wanted out of his climbing career, but he would’ve gladly taken the path if it meant he could fix Alexander.

“It’s not giving you much, is it?”

“No.” Bunty sighed. “Having a lightning-charged poker sounds good, but it’s not just me. It was the same with the last Core I tried. My spirit wants to force me down an assassination path which isn’t just me.”

“When your compatibility is low, Gaia opts for the simplest possible upgrade. It’s not the best.” She fished the red Core out of her pocket and held it out for Bunty. “Go on. Try it.”

“I haven’t agreed to the trade yet, though,” Bunty said.

“That’s fine, just check,” she insisted.

Bunty took the sphere from Gwyneth, and its warmth took him by surprise. It reminded him of his mornings with Neer and Baba. They’d all sit together after morning drills and eat breakfast. The trio would drink hot, spiced tea and he’d enjoy warm milk with a spot of honey. Then after Neer’s passing, when they moved in with the Boleyns, Alexander joined them for the beverage. Now that Bunty thought about it, it was one of the only parts of sword-training that he missed.

“Where did you get this from?” He asked.

“Lichen Boar King on the first floor,” Gwyneth answered. “We were looking for a tribe of snowmen. Their spirit caller supposedly called forth a healing aura to empower his tribe. Someone beat us to it, though. By the time we got there, the village had been slaughtered, and the Cores were harvested. We encountered the beast while following leads on another settlement. A second-interval Climber lost her life fighting that thing.”

Bunty couldn’t help but wonder whether that was where Mei got her spirit. It was too much of a coincidence, though. If the lizardman shaman had two sets of abilities, the spirit caller could too. Perhaps Mei’s frost fire wisps were no different from summoned spirits.

“Go on.” Gwyneth smiled. Bunty struggled to figure out what to think of her. Trusting her felt like a bad idea; at the same time, she handed him a valuable Core when he had the apparent upper hand. “Let’s find out whether the trade will be worth it or not.”

Bunty pressed his hands against the upgrade station once again.

Lichen boars rarely survive an entire century. Their rage drives them into unnecessary fights. If they don’t die in battle, injuries claim their lives later on.

Red Charger’s tenacity and strength kept him alive through thousands of clashes, and he survived eight centuries.

The inkwell will gain the inanimate summon: Inky Guardian.

The guardian will carry Red Charger’s mass and sturdiness. He’ll be the immovable obstacle you need.

Red Charger’s avatar will stand as long as you wish but drain everything within your inkwell. When you’re done with him, the ink shall return to the spirit.

Bunty sighed. “That’s an inanimate summon but not the best,” he said. “I don’t know what good an immovable ink statue will do. I guess I could drop it on someone. It’ll drain all the ink in the pen though.”

“That’s not particularly reliable,” Gwyneth said. “You want your first Core to give you something versatile. Find something you can work into your fighting style.”

“Shouldn’t you be trying to convince me that this is the best upgrade ever?”

“After spending my life working for manipulators and arseholes…” Her eyes unfocused for a moment as she stared at the upgrade station. “I don’t want to cheat you out of the Core. That’s just not me.” Gwyneth’s brows furrowed. She marched past Bunty to the dirt-covered door behind him. “There’s a Gate here too? Why didn’t you say so? You couldn’t have—”

“Believe me. You don’t want to use that door. It takes you to a shrine on the second floor. A massive slime lord is blocking the way back to the hub.”

“A slime lord?” Gwyneth turned around, looking at Bunty with an eyebrow raised. “How big was it?”

“We couldn’t tell. It disguised itself as a wall twenty maybe thirty-feet high and assaulted us with a giant mass of ridiculously corrosive tentacles.”

“I mean volume.”

“I can’t be sure,” Bunty said. “Why do you ask?”

“A slime lord’s age is directly proportional to its volume. When you say it disguised itself as a wall, you mean it altered its texture, hardness and colour. Am I right?” Bunty nodded. “Then why are you wasting your time looking through these? A slime lord would be perfect for that inkwell of yours! It’s one of the few beasts capable of liquid manipulation and transformation in the first couple of intervals. That’s what you should be targeting.”

“That’s all well and good, but how the hell am I going to kill a slime lord? They might be a dime a dozen, but their Cores aren’t known to give anything useful—”

“That’s because spirits with liquid-manipulation potential are much too rare. I’m telling you, a slime lord is precisely what you need to bring out your hollow spirit’s potential.”

“That might be true, Gwyneth, but how the hell would I go about killing one?” Bunty asked. “I’d need to find a Climber whose spirit can project fire or ice.”

“Lightning is the most effective element against slimes,” Gwyneth said. “They’re all liquid, after all.” Bunty’s shoulders slumped when he realised what she was getting at. He was starting to warming up to the woman, and there she went exposing her game. “Give me the shaman’s Core and I’ll take the slime lord down. I know we’ve just met, and you have no reason to trust me. So, hold on to Red Charger’s Core. It’s more valuable than whatever a slime lord will provide. Besides, considering its origin and chances of the sphere providing a spirit with strength and durability upgrades, the Core will get you a reasonable price.”

“What’s stopping you from turning on me after your spirit is upgraded? If the Core gets you a lightning projection power, taking me out won’t be a challenge. Then you can take both Cores.”

“Nothing. If I get lightning-based spells, I can kill you and find my own way out of the tower. I won’t, though. Where else will you find a more perfect target and the ideal Climber to help take you down?” Gwyneth held out her hand. “Trust me Bunty, and I’ll owe you a life debt. I know that’s an ancient concept and it’s more valuable coming from a Scotsman than a Welsh lass, but I don’t have much else.”

Bunty sighed. He studied Gwyneth for a moment before tossing her the Shaman’s Core. A wide smile spread across her lips before she threw her arms around him. She squeezed him tight and pecked his cheek before placing her hands on the upgrade station. Gwyneth’s spirit manifested, floating next to her. It was as big as Bunty’s head, cylindrical in shape and made of black metal. The lamp looked no different from the new gas-powered devices that lit the streets in Noble’s Ring. Except, it didn’t stand on a metal pole but floated at eye-level.

The upgrade station’s runes glowed blue and gold. A heartbeat later, the spirit’s internal light adopted the same colours. Gwyneth’s brows furrowed as the Core floated out of her hand and drifted into the stone monolith and the gold runes faded one by one, leaving only the bright blue ones behind. The lamp did the same, abandoning all warmth and taking on a much colder aura. Then blue sparks danced from its heart and lightning crackled across the metal.

Close to five minutes passed before Gwyneth released the upgrade station. She exhaled deeply, and the sparks faded. Her lamp’s light grew brighter until the blue was closer to white, and the metal had gold filigree running through it. She smiled at Bunty.

“Wow.” She sighed, rolling her shoulders. “It’ll take some time for the tempering to take effect, but the lightning attack and utility spells are magnificent. That slime lord won’t stand a chance.”

“Are you sure about this?” Bunty asked. “That thing was monstrous. We don’t have to do this.”

“We’ll have an escape route if things go south,” Gwyneth said. “I owe you now, Bunty. My father wasn’t the best role model, but he taught me to keep my promises. Let’s get you that Core so we can be even. If we fail, I’ll help you track down something just as good.” She placed a hand on Bunty’s shoulder. “You have no idea what this upgrade means to me.” The lamp buzzed. It’s light pulsed, and a wave of lightning washed over it. “I’m free now. If the DeLawneys come for me, I’ll have the power to put up a fight. That’s all thanks to you. Now let’s get what you need, so you can achieve your goals too.”

Bunty nodded. Gwyneth had been right about the shaman Core’s compatibility with his spirit. If her theory regarding the slime lord proved correct too, it would be perfect for him. They shared Bunty’s rations and the contents of his canteen—Gwyneth’s former party carried her food and drink. All the while, he kept an eye on the woman. After his recent experiences, Bunty kept expecting her to turn on him. She didn’t, though. Instead, she volunteered to help him even after getting what she wanted. Bunty wouldn’t have minded if she left Red Charger’s Core with him and left. It was fair payment. Gwyneth had earned his respect for keeping her word.