No matter how hard Bunty tried, he couldn’t get his heart rate to slow down. He regretted not studying the party through his looking glass earlier. If he knew it was the Boleyns, he would’ve exited cover without the black ink-coat. Gwyneth claimed it had an intimidating air about it and would deter people in the settlement from bothering them. The Boleyns had just ruined the plan, and now they needed to figure out an alternative.

“Let me do most of the talking,” Bunty whispered. “Edgar might try to get a rise out of us. It’s important that we stay cool and don’t react. Don’t summon your spirit either.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Gwyneth asked. “Perhaps we should retreat. There is no shame in it, and if we head into the valley, perhaps they won’t find us in the woods.”

“It won’t work. The DeLawneys will get suspicious, and Edgar will spur them on to chase me. His sister will try to hold him back, but right now, he has too much power. All he needs is an excuse to attack me.” When Lawrence waved at me, beaming, I returned the gesture. “I’m not sure whether the big guy has upgraded his wolf spirit or not, but it’s got a brilliant sense of smell. They’ll track us down in no time.”

“What will you tell them about me?” Gwyneth paused, grabbing Bunty’s forearm. “If you’re a known entity, there will be questions about me too. The more you try to evade them, the more suspicious they’ll get. The DeLawney’s aren’t fools. They didn’t see you in your ink-coat, but they know that I’m travelling with an Asian man. If there is a settlement here with a binding station and gateway, the chances are that the news has gotten here too.”

“You’ll have to trust me,” Bunty said. “These are people I’ve known all my life. Handling Edgar Boleyn might be a delicate game, but I’ve been playing it for several years.”

Bunty didn’t want to admit it, but facing Victoria worried him more than dealing with Edgar. She’d been on his mind for years, and the kiss had further complicated the dynamic. He knew they’d never be together. Bunty had made up his mind. Even if the stars lined up, repairing the issues between him and the Boleyns, he’d never pursue a romantic relationship with her. It just wasn’t worth it. He needed to stay as far away from the nobility’s inter-family drama as much as possible. However, that didn’t mean his feelings for her were all gone. Only time would heal his wounds.

As the party approached the pair, Bunty got a better look at their armaments. Victoria carried a new bow with a crimson Core planted near the grip. A tangle of green vines covered her right arm like armour too. Bunty struggled to recall her plant spirit’s base spell but was willing to bet that she had upgraded it already. Since no quiver hung from her waist or shoulder, he guessed the spirit supplied her with projectiles for her weapon.

The wolf spirit walking next to Lawrence hadn’t changed one bit. Perhaps that’s why they had ventured so far from the fifth floor’s hub. The Hyenes had canine qualities. As a result, their Cores would likely have high compatibility with the wolf. Bunty doubted Edgar would waste time or resources looking for an aged beast and accept whatever gave the spirit useful summons and augments. Lawrence carried new equipment too. Bunty couldn’t tell whether they were enhanced with Cores or not, but he had no trouble discerning the high quality despite their distance.

At first, Edgar appeared the least equipped of all of them. He no longer carried a mace and shield, but an ornate wooden staff. Instead of armour, he wore a long crimson coat similar to Bunty’s in design. When a gust of wind blew over the hills, the garment appeared to breathe and flutter with it. Then Bunty realised, it wasn’t a single piece like his coat, but made of countless over-lapping, palm-sized pieces. As they got closer and Bunty spotted the trio of hibiscus growing out of the staff’s head, he realised they were petals.

“Looks like you and I had the same idea, Sen,” Edgar said, once they were ten metres away from one another. “I’d say great mind thinks alike, but I’m sure both of us would disagree on that front.”

“Hello to you too, Edgar,” Bunty said, skipping the honorifics. The spoiled lordling wouldn’t dare do anything to harm Baba as long as Lord Graham was around. As a result, he didn’t see any point in giving Edgar the respect he believed he deserved. In fact, Edgar would probably get suspicious if he acted any different. “I don’t have Lawrence to carry my load. So, travelling light is in my best interests.” Bunty addressed the other two. “It’s nice to see you, Lawrence, Victoria. What brings you all the way out here?”

“We need our vanguard to upgrade his spirit before we can ascend to the next interval,” Edgar said, answering in their stead. Lawrence smiled politely. Bunty had nothing against the big lug. He worked for the Boleyns, and it didn’t matter whether Lawrence believed him or not. Victoria, on the other hand, looked to the ground, struggling to meet Bunty’s eye. “I see you’ve had good fortune despite the junk spirit, Bunty. What are you doing here?”

“My client wants to explore the first interval and see its beasts up close before investing her finances or time into a Core. This is the final leg of our journey before I move on to the next interval.” Bunty hoped he’d delivered the lie convincingly. To further reinforce it, he looked past his former friends to the DeLawney pair. “In fact, I came as far as the new settlement to kill two birds with one stone. The rumour mill says that the DeLawney house is looking for a hand to drive the Hyenes back. Perhaps I can provide help for a short while. In exchange, I’d like to use a gate leading to the next interval.”

The DeLawney pair looked at one another. “You should’ve approached someone on the floor’s main hub for such work,” one of them said. “We’ve been recruiting able hands left right and centre. You’ll most likely find security or construction work in Hyene’s Watch, though. Since you’re a friend of the Boleyn house, we can look into a discount for door access—”

“Bunty is a former, disgraced employee.” Edgar cut the DeLawney off. He grinned at Bunty as he spoke. “Actually, he was never hired by my father. He lived off his father until we kicked him out. I’m in no position to instruct the DeLawneys on who not to hire, but do not give him special consideration on our account.”

“Understood.” The DeLawney Climbers looked at one another, shrugging. “We should get going, Master Boleyn. Your earlier detour put us behind schedule.”

“Why don’t you walk with us, Bunty?” Victoria asked, finally meeting his eye. “The new settlement has a couple of inns. It’s best if you can ride the night out there. It’s not safe this far out for a party with only one upgraded spirit.”

Edgar opened his mouth to speak, but then shut up after looking at Gwyneth. She had remained silent throughout the exchange, studying the Boleyn Climbers. Thanks to the temperature, the hood and raised scarf didn’t look out place. Since people without sufficient body tempering were especially vulnerable to the cold, it made sense that she’d want to cover up.

“That’s a good idea,” Bunty said. “Our time on the fifth floor has been pleasant so far, but the local fauna hasn’t impressed Miss Allard.” If he remembered correctly, the Boleyns spoke Spanish but not French. He just hoped the DeLawneys didn’t try to address her in any language but English. “We’re most likely going to return to the third flower.”

“Is that so?” Victoria shot Gwyneth a polite smile. “What spirit has Gaia blessed you with, Miss Allard?”

Gwyneth tilted her head to the side like a confused dog. “Que?”

“I’m afraid English isn’t her strongest subject,” Bunty said. “She’s not long arrived in New Calcutta you see. Miss Allard parted ways with her former party, and I was lucky enough to get the job. It’s her cape. She’s looking for possible sources of attack spells before she settles for a defensive or utility-focused Core.”

“She’s new to the city and doesn’t speak English?” Edgar asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked between Bunty and Gwyneth. Then the lordling burst out laughing. “That explains so much. I was wondering why anyone with half a brain would hire you, Bunty. The poor girl had no other options, so you took advantage of the situation, didn’t you?”

“That’s unnecessary, Edgar,” Victoria said, squeezing her brother’s arm. “I know you have bad blood with him, but we need to be civil around the house’s new allies. It’s called professionalism.”

Edgar’s jaw tightened as he glared at his sister. Much to Bunty’s relief, the spoiled lordling nodded and backed down. They walked downhill towards the settlement together. The two groups stayed six feet apart from one another, but Bunty spotted Victoria drifting closer as they approached the gates. The guards neither stopped Bunty and Gwyneth nor questioned them. Perhaps the unfortunate meeting had worked out in their favour.