A warmth washed over Bunty’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 second 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,” Bunty said. “When you used the Core, did Gaia give you an option?”

A smile spread across Gwyneth’s face as she nodded. “She gave me a choice of two essences. One for lightning and the other for healing. What did she offer you?”

“Slimeskin and Slimejuice. I picked the former.”

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

“What the hell is it?” Bunty asked.

“People don’t particularly understand slimes, but it’s been confirmed by multiple researchers that they don’t have any a 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, change its viscosity and surface texture. I imagine Slimeskin relates to such abilities. I reckon that’s what’ll benefit your spirit the best. Slimeskin should give you the ability to shape and manipulate ink the same way a slime lord does its tentacles.”

“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, and the decision was made. The decision to reject the Core was taken out of my hands.” Bunty 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 Core has almost perfect compatibility with the spirit. Gaia believes the likelihood of you finding anything better is low to none. So, she wants you to commit and roll with it.”

“Holy shit,” Bunty 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. Bunty could feel his spirit now. Before it had just been there, hanging around at the back of his mind like an afterthought. Now he could really feel it. The fountain pen was a part of him, an extension of his being.

Bunty willed ink to flow while picturing one of the slime lord’s appendages. The inky base tentacle grew out of the nib and fell to the floor.

“That doesn’t look friendly at all,” Gwyneth commented.

“That’s what I said.” He smirked. “Did you meet anyone while absorbing the Core? An apparition perhaps?”

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

Bunty pulled the pen back and whipped it forwards, aiming at a stable patch of ground above. When Bunty willed the tentacle to extend, it obeyed, getting skinnier as it flew. “Stick,” he whispered and the tentacle attached to the ground. He guessed the spell represented a slime’s ability to climb walls and ceilings. He released the ink, and the black rope came free, existing as an independent object.

“I guess that rope you carry is pretty much useless now,” Gwyneth said.

“Let's test out its strength first." Bunty laughed, grasping the length. It already felt much better than rope. The skin on his palms would suffer less than they presently did. He pulled, and it didn't come free. Meanwhile, the gauge on the pen’s side showed that the inkwell still had four-fifths of its contents remaining. "This feels good."

"It should." Even though Gywneth's eyes were focused on the ink-rope, it sounded like she was miles away "That's pretty amazing. I haven't encountered many inanimate-summon focuses, but the possibilities are endless. You can do so much with the tentacle. Do you have any free form summons?"

"Not yet. The spirit wants me to draw them and detail how they'll work. I'm not sure what that means but will figure it out."

"You know what this means right?" Gwyneth asked. "Climbing light is going to be so easy for you. Protective clothing, weapons, rope, the summons can replace every tool you carry. That's pretty amazing."

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

"What are you doing?" Gwyneth asked.

"Gaia said this Core is old enough to be used up to the third interval," Bunty answered. "I was hoping to get a headstart."

"It was the same for the Argonian Shaman’s and Red Charger's Cores, but Gaia won't let you upgrade your spirit 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."

"Fine," Bunty sighed. "How about we get out of here then. I can't wait to bathe and get a real meal in me."

"Same here," Gwyneth replied. "I hope the DeLawneys 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 Bunty’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, Bunty 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 spirit would work.” Bunty decided to keep the truth to himself. He didn’t want Gwyneth asking too many questions.

The ground shook, all of a sudden. A tree fell a little way ahead, and the earth parted. Neither Bunty nor Gwyneth expressed surprise when a stone door rose out of it. He had expected as much. The both of them had upgraded spirits, of course. Bunty found the timing odd, though. He expected it to arrive as soon as he absorbed the Core. Perhaps Gaia didn’t like creating Gates too close to one another. It didn’t matter. Bunty finally had power, and he wanted to rest before he could climb using it. The door opened, and the pair walked through.

It wasn’t archipelagos covered in palm trees and crystal-clear waters that they found on the other side. Instead, a growing urban jungle bustled around them. People milled around buildings of stone and wood. Carts of meat, mead and grain rolled up and down the streets, while their riders urged pedestrians to get out of the way.

“This isn’t right,” Gwyneth mumbled.

“I was expecting something completely different from the fourth floors,” Bunty said.

“Because this is the fifth.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the gate. “I didn’t expect Gaia to let us skip a floor. That rarely ever happens. Let’s get to a binding station.”

“What’s the rush?” Bunty tried to wring his wrist out of her hold, but she didn’t let go.

“It’s DeLawney territory!” Gwyneth kept her voice low. “They run this floor and own most of the assets on it. If anyone recognises me, I’m screwed. Let's just bind ourselves and get out.”

Now that he knew what to look for, the twin-shield symbol marked most of the buildings and a good deal of the vehicles. Considering how easily Gwyneth found the building housing the binding station. Bunty guessed it was where the DeLawneys kept her prisoner. They moved quickly, keeping low and avoiding the guard contingencies as much as possible. Bunty didn’t need to sneak around, but he worried Gwyneth’s abandoned allies might have survived, so he kept his head down.

Bunty’s heartbeat picked up while in a queue for the stone sphere. There were a lot more people than he would’ve liked. The DeLawneys had built a pub around the binding station. It surprised him 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 Bunty of the Rickety Helmsman, and he felt the old uncomfortable pressure in his chest again. It was much worse than before. He guessed the incident with Alexander had something to do with it. He kept his head down and avoided conversation with anyone that approached.

It took half an hour to bind themselves to the floor and return to the door. They 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. The pair didn’t look left or right and walked straight for 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 Bunty. “Thank you for sticking with me.”

“Should we call it even? We both got the spirit upgrade we needed and escaped reasonably unharmed.” Bunty looked down at his hands. The rawness from plunging his hands in the slime lord was mostly gone. It was the tempering. Bunty 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,” Bunty said nodding. “Your knowledge of Gaia’s Ark, Cores, spirits and beasts are awe-inspiring. Our spirits and my fighting style should combine incredibly as well.”

“Is that all?” She asked chuckling.

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

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

“Not quite, but those would be a nice bonus.” Bunty needed allies, but he couldn’t decide whether to tell her the truth or not. 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.” Bunty 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,” Bunty answered. “More recently, my closest friend took a nasty blow to the head. The healers aren’t sure whether they can fix him or not. 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?” Bunty asked. “What’s pushing you onward?”

“Despite my rocky relationship with Arthur, I’d like to continue his work. The DeLawney 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, Bunty paid for it. “To keep somethings to himself, Arthur hid caches of Cores and research littered around the tower. I’d like to find them.” She took a bite of the snack and moaned loud enough to embarrass Bunty. “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 Bunty. You help me with my goals, and I’ll do the same for you.”