Two hours later, Gwyneth continued to check over her shoulder every time they crested a hill. Her tempered eyes didn’t spot anyone following them. She did locate a herd of fanged deer, a cow-sized hedgehog and a couple of gremlins scrambling into their burrows. However, the pair agreed that slowing down wasn’t in their best interests. Just because one party had gone downriver, it didn’t m...
2022-09-27 12:23:23 +0000 UTC View Post“Wake up!” Gwyneth whispered, shaking Diya. While struggling to fall asleep, he created a Slimeskin bed using Explorer’s Fountain Pen. It was softer than any mattress he had ever slept on and did a brilliant job of trapping body heat.
“It’s still dark out.” Diya groaned, peeking at the cave’s opening with a half-open eye. “Give me another hour.”
“There are ...
2022-09-23 11:06:12 +0000 UTC View PostTraining and hunting for a door took the pair deeper into the floor. The plains and hills were more comfortable to traverse than the previous floors’ terrain. As a result, it wasn’t just Diya that could comfortably travel further from the hub, but other Climbers too. Every door the pair approached on the first day had a DeLawney settlement already present or growing around it. Gwyneth didn...
2022-09-22 20:47:55 +0000 UTC View Post
[The 4th-floor arc was a last-minute addition included for the sake of world-building and Gwyneth's character building. It was written after I finished writing book 1 and forgot there were overlapping patches of dialogue. I apologise for the error and have fixed it.]
Old climber records described the fifth floor as an expanse of endless rolling hills, moors forever bathed in fo...
2022-09-21 20:50:18 +0000 UTC View PostThe Mothmin didn’t exclude or imprison Diya once they returned to the giant tree. However, the insectoid people made little effort to include him. They dropped him on a grand high platform and guided him to a large hall with fruit-laden tables and sweet-smelling, luminous beverages. He received a padded tree trunk for sitting while Gwyneth went on towards the grandest table in the room.
As soon as Diya found Gwyneth, he removed his coat and threw it over the both of them. They ducked by a boulder, and he willed the garment to stiffen. The space tightened, forcing the pair to squeeze together. Gwyneth dispelled her spirit, and the couple held their breaths. Diya didn’t know whether the coat would muffle their heartbeats and could only hope. Their plan, while half-baked, had p...
2022-09-18 18:17:01 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Diya stirred, he expected to be bound and gagged. Instead, he woke in a swaying hammock with soft string instruments playing in the distance. No lingering pains plagued his body, despite the pain that had plagued him before everything went numb. It was Gwyneth. He was sure she had struck him with her lightning.
No injuries marked Diya’s back. Someone had removed all the garments co...
2022-09-16 19:40:32 +0000 UTC View PostNow that Diya had his Slimeskin summons, he needed to focus on figuring out his deck’s composition. The journal’s blank slots needed attention, too. Since he’d reached tier-two, he could slot spells of the same level into the three spaces. Ideally, he would’ve liked to upgrade what he already had but lacked the runes or understanding to do so. He shared the process and function with Gwy...
2022-09-13 17:55:58 +0000 UTC View PostIt felt odd to prepare for a climb without rope or hooks. Thanks to the Slimeskin's ability to stick to surfaces, he no longer needed the latter. Diya bought dried meat, rye crackers, hard cheese, pungent soft cheese in a hard rind, nuts, and an assortment of dried fruits and berries. It was by far the most money he'd ever spent on rations.
Keeping morale high is vital when challengin...
2022-09-12 21:29:54 +0000 UTC View Post“What are you planning for your second summon?” Gwyneth asked after Baba left.
“I’ve got an experiment in mind, and I’m not sure whether it will work,” Diya answered.
“Do you need to purchase the prerequisite cards, or can we go straight to an upgrade station?”
“First, I need to use Spell Thief to get the object’s blueprints. I reckon the Climber’s Market...
2022-09-12 21:24:30 +0000 UTC View Post“It’s good to see you too, Baba.” Diya gave him a light squeeze. He wanted to see Baba, but the thought of getting bad news about Alexander had discouraged him. “I had a meeting scheduled for later. I was waiting to get that out of the way before coming by.” Diya couldn’t be sure whether it was a lie. “How’re things in the house?”
“Tense.” Baba sighed. “Edgar’s f...
2022-09-12 20:51:02 +0000 UTC View PostDiya woke up wishing he had dreamt of his time with the apparition. They looked like Neer, spoke like him, and displayed the same body language. He had gone over the same key memories over and over again, trying to keep a hold of his image of Neer. Now, Diya no longer knew how much of them were real and which bits he had filled in himself to make them brighter. Considering Neer’s mental healt...
2022-09-12 20:11:38 +0000 UTC View PostA warmth washed over Diya’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 third 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,...
2022-09-12 20:08:41 +0000 UTC View PostDiya's hands stung as he climbed back up the platform. He'd wiped his hands on moss and poured all of his whiskey-healing-brew concoction over them, but that didn't help. The last of the slime lord's digestive juices felt extra corrosive. Gwyneth assaulted his limbs with water and soap as soon as he got to the top. She didn't explain where it had come from. Her lamp's light turned golden, and a...
2022-09-12 14:12:14 +0000 UTC View PostGwyneth shed her bow and quiver once they were ready to pass through the door. Thanks to her soul, she didn’t need them anymore. Besides, arrows would be useless against the slime lord. They had come from the De Lawney armoury and bore their mark as well. It would stand out when Gwyneth entered the hub.
It was late afternoon when they left the third floor’s sunlight and returned to th...
2022-09-12 14:01:58 +0000 UTC View PostIt 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. Diya 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...
2022-09-12 13:58:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe path to the village appeared devoid of life. All the critters Diya had spotted the night before had left tracks heading away from the lizard men’s new home.
Was it internal strife?
Given their numbers, the chances of a monster attacking them were low. If something powerful enough to take on an entire village roamed the woods, the rodents wouldn’t be so careless. The...
2022-09-12 13:47:55 +0000 UTC View PostDiya woke to the sun’s first rays on his face. His back ached from the uncomfortable sleeping position. He would’ve killed for another hour of slumber and a hot bath, but such luxuries would have to wait until his soul reached tier-two. Smoke rose from among the treetops not far away. Soft coos, squawks and a variety of other calls echoed through the trees. The creatures sounded a lot more ...
2022-09-12 13:35:17 +0000 UTC View PostBefore starting his climb, Diya removed the vest he wore under his coat. The temperate climate and testing inkfire cards had soaked his pits, back and hair. He couldn’t very well take off his jacket—its protection was invaluable. Still, he was happy to forego the metal studs that held onto his torso’s heat. Sleep, healing brew and a couple of shots of whisky had washed all the fatigue and...
2022-09-12 12:01:26 +0000 UTC View PostDiya’s hosts were still fast asleep when he set out the following morning. It was for the best. He wished to minimise human interaction. Before going to bed the night before, he had spent quite a while thinking about his deck. After the last couple of battles, he no longer trusted Territorial Awareness. He needed someone that understood cards better. Victoria spent the most time with the Bole...
2022-09-11 14:36:34 +0000 UTC View PostDiya’s information, fortunately, proved correct. Not long after clearing the dead trees, the party sighted Gaia's central pillar rising into the sky. They’d have to descend a cliff and work their way through a mangrove forest on their way there, but it was still within sight. Diya grimaced at the thought of more climbing—the usual soreness had crept in, but he couldn’t wait to find an u...
2022-09-11 14:31:12 +0000 UTC View PostDiya didn’t understand religion or the significance of the Ito clan’s pilgrimage. Baba came from a Hindu family but didn’t practise and worshipped the sword instead. Once a year, for five days in October, he would drag Diya to a gathering of people from the homeland. It was for a festival called Durga Pujo, which Diya never understood.
The Boleyns were similar in their religious asp...
2022-09-11 13:11:51 +0000 UTC View PostMei got talkative as the Japanese markers got more frequent. “We’re approaching the shrine,” Hina said, translating for her.
Water dripped from the ceiling, stalactites and stalagmites dotted the tunnels, and their feet splashed in puddles as they walked. The Ito-clan members didn’t appear bothered by the moisture, though. Diya found it concerning since the jungle of bioluminescen...
2022-09-11 13:00:44 +0000 UTC View PostThe mole dropped three cards. Diya only glimpsed the first of them—a monster card, before Yukiho pocketed all of them. The artwork lacked the same detail as Eirkh's card, leaving him to wonder whether it was one of lower quality or strength. Diya had no interest in the card. Given the beast's nature, he doubted it would give his soul's powers any desirable upgrades.
The party leader was...
2022-09-11 12:53:37 +0000 UTC View PostDiya had read about the creatures. They populated parts of the second floor where Climbers rarely ventured, only emerging to devour a troglodyte or smaller monsters. When it charged at them, Diya knew the stories of them being fiercely territorial were true.
Yukiho yelled in Japanese, and they all ran. The beast’s size made it as big as the tunnel, making getting around it impossible. I...
2022-09-11 12:43:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe party continued with their introductions while walking. Mei and Koki didn’t talk to Diya much because of the language barrier and chatted with Hina instead. Diya and Yuhiko walked ahead of them, discussing the tower. Unlike her younger clan members, she didn’t wear traditional Japanese clothes. She wore a shirt, knee-long cape, and baggy trousers tucked into plated boots. Her lack of a ...
2022-09-11 12:30:27 +0000 UTC View PostIt came as a surprise when Diya’s body let him out of bed the following morning. He expected pain from the night before to leave him immobile, but besides the tightness in his side, he felt no discomfort. Either his soul's rarity gave it passive restorative abilities, or the healer’s powers were still at play. Diya’s joints and muscles weren’t sore, and when he did a once over, there we...
2022-09-11 10:06:38 +0000 UTC View PostDiya entered the second floor’s primary hub, dragging his loot in a card-summoned tent and his coat stained green with ichor. He attracted several stares but couldn’t help but feel proud of himself. Blue twinkled from his swelling pockets, and the rolls of fur still dripped with arachnid remains. Diya kept the cards hidden inside his vest. Even though the hubs were almost always full of cli...
2022-09-11 09:40:01 +0000 UTC View PostA sharp poke to my side woke me the following morning. I didn’t have a way of tracking time in the dungeons, of course. However, given how well-rested I felt, it was a safe assumption. The cell’s cot lacked a mattress, but rough chords hung across the frame like a mattress. It didn’t take me long to get to the itchy material. In fact, it was a lot more comfortable than the crappy mattress...
2021-05-27 22:25:01 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's Notes: Anyone that read Halfwit Halfling might recognise this chapter. It introduces a key character and JP did an amazing job of it, so I didn't write it afresh.
Sitting up, I looked at my fellow prisoners. I heard snoring from Ozman while the prisoners beyond him lay on their cots, looking away from me. It wasn’t either of the two, I was sure. It was too earl...
2021-05-27 07:51:26 +0000 UTC View Post