Gwyneth stopped struggling once the vehicle had passed all the way into the seventh floor. The third rum-carrying wagon didn’t follow them. She remained motionless, watching the gate. Only a handful of pedestrian Climbers followed, and they weren’t dressed like the seventh-floor residents. The chaos on the other side must have frozen all transit. Bunty waited until they turned a corner, and the gate was out of sight before relaxing. Gwyneth didn’t pull away, though. She leaned against Bunty as her entire body trembled.

“We couldn’t have helped him,” Bunty whispered into her ear. “There were too many guards around, and they all had enhanced weaponry.”

“I know,” she replied after restrained sob. “If he didn’t get carried away with his spirit, the guards wouldn’t have brought their hounds out. We could’ve all gotten away without issue.” Gwyneth’s trembling intensified and a loud sob escaped her. “I don’t get you, men. You get a new toy, and you forget common sense and restraint. The nobility doesn’t recruit dullards into their security forces. They can tell when someone’s trying to create a distraction.”

“I’m sorry, Gwyn. Maybe he got away—”

“Don’t do that.” Gwyneth turned around to face Bunty. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “We both saw that spear rip through his wing. They got him.”

“Perhaps they didn’t kill him, then,” Bunty said. “You can’t beat yourself up about whatever happens to Ashish, alright? It was my decision to have him go on his own. Your instincts pushed you to go help him, but I didn’t let you go. If you need someone to blame, blame me. I’m a selfish man. If I get to choose who gets hurt, a stranger or a person I lo—” Bunty caught himself mid-sentence. He didn’t know how he felt about Gwyneth anymore and didn’t want to give her the wrong idea until he was sure. “—a person I care about, I will never choose the stranger.”

Gwyneth sniffed and wiped her eyes. “You’re an idiot,” she said, before turning away to face the wagon’s exterior. Gwyneth took Bunty’s hand and tugged. “Let’s get off before the driver stops, or something else happens.”

Bunty guessed the wagon driver had passed through the gateway before the chaos unfolded. Perhaps he missed what had happened with his companion’s cargo. He didn’t care either way—at least that’s what he told himself. Bunty had set his objectives as getting away from the DeLawneys and warning Baba of Edgar’s capabilities. He was ready to take an amoral path to get both jobs done. It wasn’t just Alexander’s life that was at stake, after all.

The pair waited until the cart slowed at a bend before leaping out. They pulled their hoods up as soon as they landed and rushed off the main street into an alley. Bunty kept a firm hold on Gwyneth’s hand and didn’t stop walking even though he didn’t know where the side road leads. Occasionally, they peeked over their shoulder, looking for anyone matching their pace. After four corners when no one appeared to be tailing them, the pair relaxed and came to a stop.

“Did you see anyone you recognised?” Bunty asked.

Gwyneth shook her head. “There were a couple of Climbers with the DeLawney crest, but they weren’t dressed like the house’s enforcers. I think we’re in the clear, but there might be more around the gate.”

“We can’t risk exiting the tower hear then.” Bunty sighed. “Let’s track down the Upgrade and Binding stations then? I’ll use Eirkh’s Core—”

“Let’s not waste time on a Binding Station, Bunty,” Gwyneth said. “We’re passing through this floor and likely not to return after we move onto the next one. In fact, there is no point in using one unless we can safely return to the primary hub.”

“You’re right. We can’t go home unless we enter any of the floor hubs and none of them are particularly hospitable now.”

Neither of them was sure which noble house had developed the seventh floor’s hub, and they didn’t have the time to find out. So, they adjusted their hoods and covered their mouths before returning to the main street. Bunty didn’t dare to ask for directions and draw anyone’s attention, so he followed the traffic’s flow while hunting for the Upgrade Station.

It didn’t take Bunty long to figure out why the seventh-floor hub was so built up. The Montagus couldn’t directly transport their goods from the sixth floor to the primary hub since the doors they monopolised all lead upwards. As a result, they used the floor as a staging ground before transporting materials out of Gaia’s Ark. Smart entrepreneurs must’ve entrenched themselves around the hub before any other houses could take control and built a settlement to take advantage of the ongoing traffic and security forces. It explained why only a fraction of the structures bore the Montagu crest.

The pair spotted the rum-carrying wagons parked among many outside a Montagu building. The two drivers were speaking animatedly with several other guards. They appeared concerned, but none of the people present ran towards the gate. Unless they had attuned themselves to the binding station, they’d have to go the long way round to reach the settlement.

After half-an-hour of exploring, Gwyneth spotted a trio of upgrade stations. They stood in a triangle not far from the floor’s gate. Bunty refused to approach it straight away. As on the other floors, several small groups roamed around the stone monoliths. Much to the pair’s relief, most of them appeared unaffiliated or preferred not displaying their family’s crest. Bunty and Gwyneth retreated into a nearby alley’s shadows, waiting for the crowds to thin. When an hour passed and traffic density didn’t decrease, they gave up on waiting.

Due to the trio of upgrade stations, they didn’t have t deal with any lines. Bunty tried his best not to look over his shoulder half-a-dozen times and not rush. Gwyneth clutched his hand and stuck close to Bunty’s side. Her breathing was heavy by the time they reached the stone monoliths. Once there, Bunty fished Eirkh’s Core out of his trouser pocket, summoned his spirits, and held them out for Gaia to study.

Much like when Bunty absorbed the first Core, he found himself transported back to the fountain room. Things had changed though. A large wooden door stood behind him. Bunty assumed it was his way out if the offered upgrades didn’t please him. He couldn’t tell whether the visions would become a regular occurrence whenever he upgraded, or only if the Core had high compatibility with his spirit.

Bunty waited, counting down form thirty, hoping Explorer would appearing wearing Neer’s form. They didn’t come. So, he focused on the fountain ahead of him. Two pedestals stood in the babbling pools heart, carrying the two possible paths for the fountain pen. Bunty waded towards the skinny, stone platforms. The one to his right carried a furry white ball. It reminded him of the spiders’ bristly hairs. The fountain’s water didn’t touch the pedestal but swirled around it as if separated by a swirling, invisible wall.

“Hydrophobia,” Bunty whispered to himself as the word resonated in his mind.

It annoyed him that neither Gaia nor Explorer explained what the upgrade would do. The Slimeskin was already waterproof. What more could Hydrophobia give him. So, he turned to the pedestal to his left. It housed a ridged icicle with a serrated outer edge. The oddly resembled the ice spiders’ pointed legs and emitted a cold aura.

Frost Blade.

Bunty didn’t need an explanation to influence his decision. He guessed the first would take him down a defensive path, based around forming layers of protection and repelling the elements. Meanwhile, the Frost Blade had to focus on offence. Bunty was sure of it. He summoned the fountain pen and held it to the icicle. The option destabilised to resemble a slime before flowing into the nib.

Eirkh’s spider legs had the power to rip through flesh and pierce the hard rock she lived upon. Explorer believes it’s her kin that shaped the Bear’s Tooth over thousands of years.

The fountain pen’s nib has learned to work with the Slimeskin and created the Frost Blade spell. The metal may now grow to form a solid, inflexible blade that chills everything in its vicinity.

Due to the Core’s increased compatibility with the pen, the inkwell has gained an additional summoning slot. The Spiderleg has been added to the base summoning pool and may grow out of the Slimeskin. It’s sharp edges, and piercing tip may now be added to the summons.

The fountain may now alter the ink’s colour to white or bright blue.

Explorer is pleased with the two powerful Cores you have fed his pen. He has granted you a new ability: Explorer’s Gate Pass.

You may expend all the ink in your inkwell to change the inscription on any gate outside of the primary hub and floor hubs. Doing so will change its destination, but you may only travel to doors your spirit can access.

The final upgrade made Bunty’s heart skip a beat. Did Explorer or one of his allies change the Ito Clan’s shrine door? What inscriptions did he need to learn and inscribe to utilise the newest gift? Even though the new summons and ability to make blades was a huge bonus, dozens of questions buzzed around his tired head. Bunty looked around, hoping to see the apparition. He would’ve greatly appreciated a demonstration and explanation, but he didn’t get either.

Eirkh, the Bone Cruncher’s Core will also temper your body to become resistant to extreme temperatures. Your sensitivity to sound and vibrations will increase as well.

The tempering would undoubtedly make life a whole lot easier as he climbed. Despite the summon’s powers, Bunty worried that the blank-ink coat’s heavy padding would make him too hot and sweaty on the later floors. The new Core’s tempering helped him shed such concerns.