Much to Bunty’s relief, Gwyneth didn’t get suspicious when he asked the captain for the use of cargo hold below. He needed an isolated spot to meditate, after all. Once there, Bunty started his exercises and axe drills. He made sure not to put too much stress on his side. The spearhead had pierced his left side in the space between his ribs and pelvis. So, he did his best to avoid rotational movement. Instead, he practised advancing, retreating, strafing while attacking with his axe and gauntlet. His heart and lungs struggled to compensate for his still weakened body, but Bunty refused to give in.

Baba had taught him that meditation came in many forms. Some people lay down to meditate. Others sat cross-legged on the floor. The Sen family practised separating their mind and body while moving through their preferred forms of combat. He finally understood why Baba would insist they practise sword drills together every morning. He wanted the movements to become second nature to Bunty, so his body could execute them without thought. Then tuning out muscle pain and discomfort would be no big deal. It was easier said than done, of course, but Bunty could feel himself getting closer.

After working up a decent sweat, Bunty would lay down flat on the wooden floor, and look inwards. He’d search for the part of him that housed the spirit and the Core’s tempering energies. There was no written literature confirming their position, but he narrowed down two spots. One was at the bridge of his nose between his eyes and eyebrows. The other sat just below his solar plexus. Those felt like the two points of stress in his body. So, Bunty focused on them while breathing in and out. He pictured a spiral in the two spots.

The East-Asian residents of New Calcutta often talked about cultivation. They discussed the philosophy of refining the internal and external divine or cosmic energies and holding the purities in one’s bodies. Baba liked to think they were an alternate approach to finding one’s inner self. He never pushed Bunty to try it but advised him to picture a pool of honey if he ever did. The thick liquid would put up a resistance when he stirred, and he needed to build a rotating spiral within it. The pool on its own didn’t have a set shape, but if he built up enough speed, it would find one. Once Bunty got better t it, the spiral would grow into a vortex and draw in any bits of honey sticking to the side while forcing the impurities out.

Afterwards, when Gwyneth came down to check on him, Bunty would move onto working with Slimeskin. He couldn’t help but feel that the tentacle deserved a lot more attention than he was giving it. The ability to change shape, thickness, and length, combined with the command spells, gave it a lot more versatility than Bunty had initially thought.

“I don’t know why I ever made a staff summon,” Bunty said, sharing his latest discovery to Gwyneth. He extended a partial tentacle from the gauntlet before moulding it into a length of two-finger thick rope. Then he made the end of it sticky, connected it to a wall, and stepped back until the tentacle was taught. Finally, Bunty used the Stiffen command to turn it into five-foot-long staff. Dispelling the ‘Stick’ command disconnected it from the wall and removed its link to the gauntlet too. “It takes a little more time than summoning but is just as good.”

“Have you tried putting the nib at its tip to form a spear?” Gwyneth asked, running a finger along the stick made of black ink. “If the staff remains loosely connected to the gauntlet, perhaps you can change the pen’s location.”

“I tried, and it doesn’t work.” Bunty shook his head. “I can’t guarantee that both hands will be connected to the shaft in battle. There might be a situation where I have to throw the spear, leave it in a foe as we did against the Hyene, or just drop it. The gauntlet’s design includes the spear, and if the two aren’t connected, the Slimeskin melts away.”

“The gauntlet can’t exist without a permanent connection to the pen? That’s a shame.” She sighed. “Yeah. The summoning time is much too long, and the pen’s presence in it gives you too much utility to give up.”

Bunty nodded. “It’s a valuable repositioning tool. I’d be giving up too much mobility and my ability to lash foes by taking the pen out of the gauntlet.”

“Then why use a staff at all?” Gwyneth asked, watching Bunty swing the staff.

“Reach,” Bunty answered. “I don’t have to rely on it throughout the battle.” He threw the staff, sending it spinning at a nearby wooden pillar. “Relax.” The shaft went limp, curving under the centrifugal force before wrapping around the pillar. Bunty grinned, tugging on the Slimeskin with all his strength. He had Gwyneth test it too. Their combined power wasn’t enough to take it apart. “I don’t have to throw it, but if we get overwhelmed, the staff can turn into a trapping tool.”

“I suppose it’s not too big a deal if it doesn’t use one of your summon slots.”

“If the ice spider Core doesn’t give me the ability to make blades, I’m thinking the next slot will go towards creating nets. It won’t just help with hunting, but will come in handy against powers like Edgar’s too.”

“Those aren’t particularly common, though,” Gwyneth commented.

“It doesn’t matter,” told her, absorbing all the expelled ink into the pen’s inkwell. His summons melted away, leaving him shirtless and sweaty. “Even if its rare, powers like Edgars are much too powerful. Until we find a better counter for it, a net will shut him down straight away. Last time, he backed off after I bound his leg with Slimeskin. Otherwise, he would’ve continued his assault and finished me off.”

Gwyneth went silent. She moved closer to Bunty, running her fingers over his hardened abdominal muscles and the bandages running across his midriff. “You’ve not bled through them for once,” Gwyneth mumbled, her touch lingering just above his pelvis. “I know you’ve not been sitting still as I requested. We can hear your footwork and breathing exercises up on the deck. The crew get a real laugh out of when you hurt yourself and can’t stop swearing.” Her delicate fingers untied the knots in the damp bandage and removed them slowly to reveal the wound. The stitching had already started breaking down around the scab. “This is going to leave an ugly scar, you know.”

“Another trophy for the case.” Bunty joked, but Gwyneth didn’t laugh. He inhaled deeply when she traced the wound. Pain didn’t pulse from the line as he expected. Now, only an uncomfortable tightness remained. “I know I’ve thanked you a dozen times now, Gwyneth, but I need to again. Thank you. Lady Luck has never been on my side, and I’ve never been one to believe in her. I can’t think of a better explanation for the coincidence that brought us together.”

Gwyneth smiled, looking up into Bunty’s eyes. It wasn’t obvious in the dimly lit cargo hold, but a light red hue coloured her cheeks and ears.

“You’re an excellent friend and climbing partner,” Bunty said. “Thank you for watching my back and standing by me through the drama with Victoria and my recovery. There aren’t many people out there that would do something of the sort for someone they’ve just met.”

“You’re welcome, Bunty,” Gwyneth said, going stiff. She stepped back from him before turning away. Bunty felt a shift in the air, but he couldn’t tell whether it was something he had said or done. “The wound has healed much faster than I expected. You’re not ready for combat yet, but I think we’re okay to leave the boat.”

“We’re another couple of days from Crescent Isle, aren’t we?”

“No. We get there tonight.” Gwyneth exhaled and relaxed her shoulders before facing Bunty again. “Thanks to my lightning, they didn’t have to slow down for repairs or to wait for crew members to recover. As a result, we made the journey much quicker than usual. The question is, Bunty, are you ready? Things could go south—”

“They won’t,” Bunty said, interrupting her. “We can’t afford to think negatively and get in our own heads. The Montagus have no issues with us and aren’t on the hunt.” He fished two marble-sized sapphire Cores out of his pocket. “We’ve made Jagdish a tidy profit, so I claimed these from the last lot you killed. We’re not just going to sneak through, Gwyn. Let’s find a weak link among their guards and bribe them for passage.”

“You cheeky devil.” Gwyneth grinned, lowering her volume. She rushed to him to inspect the little spheres. “Why don’t we just sell these and or trade them for passage?”

“Even though Montagus and DeLawneys don’t have trade relationships and are based in separate intervals, they’re neighbours. They might not work together or share information, but I’ll bet both houses have spies placed in each other’s ranks. If we make a commotion or make ourselves known, the DeLawneys will be able to track us. So, it’s for the best if we keep things quiet.”

“Good thinking,” Gwyneth said. “If we keep quiet, the DeLawneys won’t know where we are. It’s been a bloody week, and they know I’m not one to wait around. If we’re lucky, they might assume we’re higher up in the tower.”

“Or dead,” Bunty said. “Either way, we’re going to invest in fresh disguises.”