“Void?” I ask, tilting my head, and Inu nods.
“Yep, void,” she says again, smiling smugly.
Opal nods sagely, scratching at their beard. “Right. Because that doesn’t sound oddly sinister.”
“That’s the point,” Inu snickers. “I needed something defining for my build, and this helps. It lets me play around more with the storage of [Reservoir], and any gravity or nullification based effects will pair nicely with [Resistance]. I got a lot of emotion-based options, but I felt like I didn’t need any help in that. I know I’m kind, I don’t need the Tower to assure me.”
That makes me smile, just a little. I’m glad that she’s not too down about our most recent fight anymore. Usually, I’d have expected Inu to feel the aftereffects of killing someone who was defenselessly scrabbling on the ground for a little longer… but she’s a tough girl, and has only gotten tougher.
I do wonder, though… one of my epitaph offerings was called vicious void. Did she get this because of me? Of course, almost instantly, she notices my thoughts and turns to me, tilting her head with a smile.
“If you beat yourself up over this, I’m going to strangle you,” she threatens with a smile, and I can’t suppress a snort of amusement.
“Not beating myself up,” I say sagely. I try to cross my arms, then remember that I only have one, and the attempt looks a little silly, so I simply lay my hand on the stump of my shoulder.
Inu nods at that, then smiles. “Better not be.”
For a long moment, a companionable silence hangs in the room. We’ve all made our choices, and I can see that everyone seems reasonably happy with theirs. They’re a whole spectrum of flashy, but I’m still happy with what I picked. It’ll let me improve faster. And given how things seem structured, I’m pretty sure I can gain more authorities later.
“You’re smiling again,” Inu notes, and I nod.
“Seems it.”
Opal laughs, leaning back against the wall, lacing their fingers behind their head. “Alright. Let’s talk business, then. What’s next?”
“We’ll climb,” Sylves says, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Thatch furrows his brows for a moment. “What about our parents? They don’t have an authority yet. They can’t go up to the fifth floor.”
And, for the first time, I feel like I agree with Thatch. “Yeah, I need Bay to charge my headphones.”
That earns me an exasperated groan from the young man. He puts his head in his hands. “Yes. We also need her to charge your headphones, of course. I want her there because she’s my mom, Snow.”
“Oh, right,” I nod.
Sylves snickers at that, then floats over to tussle his hair. “I think they’re probably safe on the fourth. They’ve found a city, and Amelie seems to be rather good at dealing with the hordes. So, maybe, we establish a foothold on the fifth, and when they come up…”
“We’ll have a spot ready for them,” Inu finishes with a smile. “That sounds good to me.”
Opal groaned slightly. “Dar’s gonna be real upset if I leave them again.”
“You wanna spend another month on the floor that stinks like rot?” I ask quietly.
They blink. “Point taken,” they say, then sigh softly. “So we climb?”
“Yeah, we climb,” I confirm, with everyone’s agreement.
And with that, we set off to meet the others.
- - -
Bay sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Let me get this straight. We just grouped up again properly. We’re on the fourth floor, reasonably safe from any attacks. And your plan is to immediately head upwards, where there is that fiery maniac hunting you?”
“I feel like you are choosing phrasing that makes the plan look less than intelligent,” I note.
“You’re correct,” Bay says. “Because it’s stupid.”
Opal snickers at my misery, but just shrugs. “Well, we can only run away for so long. Flamando will expect us down here. We need to move somewhere.”
“You could go back down to the third,” Norman suggests, waving a hand through the air. He’s leaning casually against the doorframe, but I can see the tension in him, the worried looks he shoots Inu. “Establish ourselves there, grow a little stronger-”
Sylves shakes her head. “No, we can’t,” she says simply. “The third floor isn’t meant for that. It’s a test for climbers. Yes, it scales. Yes, we’d find challenges. But not enough, never enough.”
“It’s about momentum,” Thatch explains, clenching a fist. He can’t meet his mom’s eyes, but he still talks. “Right now, we’re on the upswing. We have to keep it going. Keep getting stronger. Because otherwise…”
“You’ll get crushed,” Jess helpfully supplies. Her eyes are the calmest out of anyone. She leans her head on her hand, thinking as she stares us down. “I see.”
Dar sits in the corner like a kicked puppy. He growls. “I loathe that I cannot accompany my blood-sibling,” he says, even though his arms are wrapped around his legs, pulling them close to his torso.
“Not for too long. You’ll catch up soon,” Opal reassures him with a small smile.
Amelie just shrugs with a sigh. “This suits me fine,” she says. “I was planning to remain on the fourth for a while. This floor has been instrumental to my development. I can learn more here than the fifth could offer me, I believe.”
Jess waves her hand. “Just go,” she says. Her face is pensive, even a little sad, but she still gives confirmation. “Gosh, this feels like telling Inu she can move out.” A wry smile sneaks onto her face at the admission.
When his wife gives affirmation, Norman grimaces for a moment, but then nods with a sigh. “We’ll follow you soon,” he assures us.
“This sucks,” Bay says with a frown. “I don’t like it one bit. But I get it. Go.”
And then, Richard raises a hand. I look at the little hiy’ht for a long moment, and tilt my head. “Yes?” I ask her.
“I have an authority,” she admits sheepishly.
“Oh,” I say, surprised. “I see.”
Richard gives a small smile, her chelicerae gently pressing into her humanoid skin. “Which means I shall be coming along.”
“Good, I was gonna miss having tasty food,” Opal admits with relief.
“First of all, I’m a great cook-” Sylves starts.
“No, you’re not,” Thatch shakes his head. The fairy gasps and looks at him in outrage at the betrayal, swiftly pulling his cheeks.
“How dare you?!” she demands, pestering him, even as Thatch just laughs. I look at the two of them and softly clear my throat, letting them focus again for a moment.
I look around the room one last time, nodding at everyone. “It’s settled then. We’ll head up. You’ll join us whenever you feel ready. We’ll make sure to get a name for ourselves - enough to be known, but not enough to attract attention.”
“Look for the crybabies guild,” Inu says smugly.
“Alright,” Jess says, nodding slightly. She looks at me with icy eyes, and I return the nod. We’ll survive. It’s a promise.
With everything settled, there’s just one more member of our party left to talk to. I glance down at my shadow, and hold out my hand.
Kuro crawls out from that darkness, the cloak whose form they usually take unravelling into their preferred shape - a large centipede, though with a somewhat cutesified appearance. Their long body weaves around my arm, finding purchase with strong legs, as they look at me.
“So, buddy, can you come with us?” I ask quietly. Kuro nods at me, eagerly agreeing.
[The Creeping Darkness informs you that it has instilled a part of its authority in your companion. Additionally, due to your current situation, the Tower will generally consider Kuro and you as a single entity.]
I look up at the ceiling, trying to stare through it to see the eyes, and give a small snicker. What a weird constellation, so attached to seeing me succeed, just because I was a little nice to one shadow critter.
With a small sigh, I direct Kuro to scamper up further, so I can pet them with my single arm. Then, a moment later, they dissolve into smokey darkness, turning back into a cloak that hides my stump. “Well then,” I say out loud, for everyone. “I need one last recharge on my headphones, and we’ll be off.”
Bay laughs for a brief moment at the request, but still obliges. I give the others some time to say their goodbyes, letting them hug and chat and make their small promises of safety. Sitting by the side, I watch it all unfold, the way they interact. A small sigh leaves my lips, and I smile.
It’s nice, seeing my friends happy. It’s nice, going on adventures with them. And I’ll make sure there will be many, many more such adventures.
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