Book 2 Chapter 4

“This is grand!” Jagdish exclaimed, running his hands down the Slimeskin coat’s sides. As Diya had predicted, the man rolled up his sleeves just past the elbows as soon as he put the garment on. “Why isn’t it as smooth as yours?”

“I think it's the Shadow rune,” Diya answered. “It seems the more I use it, the rougher and darker the material gets. What do you think of the keywords?”

Jagdish grinned. “It’s perfect! My soul is most effective in the melee range. Unfortunately, closing in on enemies isn’t the easiest on a boat. I could do without the once-an-hour limitation, but I just need to get on a beasty once before wreaking havoc.”

They exchanged Kakil and Glrrg’s cards. Diya couldn’t wait to visit an upgrade station and find out how Explorer’s Fountain Pen would interact with it. He hoped the authorities in the Crescent Isles wouldn’t limit his access to the commodity.

“Does this mean you’re leaving this interval?” Gwyneth asked, watching Jagdish admire the Hyene Matriarch’s artwork.

Jagdish nodded. “Most likely. The Montagus are making life for us much too hard here. The taxation and the inspections aren’t good for business and profit. I’ve wanted to get out for a while but stayed for the crew. Now, I’ve got a core group that wants to follow me and the rest will go their own way.”

“So, are you ending your journey at the Crescent Isles?”

“I still have too much to wrap up.” Jagdish sighed. “While the crew enjoy a little shore leave, I’ll pop up to the eleventh floor and check my soul’s compatibility with the card. If it's good enough, I’ll return, finish up a couple of contracts, settle a few accounts, and then sell Garuda. It should take a couple of months.”

“Well, I hope we run into each other again,” Diya said. “You’ve been a great host; we owe you our lives.”

“You two settled your debt and then some,” Jagdish replied. “And we won’t be running into each other. That implies we won’t keep in touch. We’ll write to each other. Your father is easy to find, and I’ll let him know where you can leave messages for me.”

“That sounds great, Jagdish. Perhaps someday we’ll climb together, too.”

Jagdish and the crew prepared a feast and several bottles of whisky and rum for the pair’s farewell. Neither Gwyneth nor Diya indulged in the free liquor but helped themselves to the roast meats and fish. As a result, when the time came to disembark the following morning, they were the only ones aboard, not hungover. Diya preferred keeping his distance from most people. However, when Jagdish came in for a hug, he couldn’t push the jolly Sikh man away.

Diya felt a light pressure on his chest as he bid the vessel and its crew goodbye. They exchanged several little conversations, and the pair received dried fish and seaweed for their travels. The pair struggled to get away until Jagdish barked at the men to unload the cargo. Ashish, the first mate, followed the pair for a while, carrying leviathan bones and hide on his augmented shoulder.

“I’m leaving the crew,” he told the pair. “After I’ve sold these, I’m moving to the next floor. I’ll spend the night at the Weary Urchin. If you need anything, come find me.”

“Thanks, Ashish,” Gwyneth replied, shooting the man a sweet smile. He hovered for a while before disappearing into the crowd.

Whenever the vessel stopped at a port, Diya and Gwyneth had sat at the bough and watched the locals. As they ventured further from the floor’s main hub, fewer people wore the Montagu crest or colours. Once Climbers had built homes and settled in the villages, they appeared to live ordinary lives as if Gaia’s Ark was no different from the outside world. The number of children running around surprised Diya the most. Almost every child he spotted had soul tattoos on their bare arms. He didn’t quite understand how it worked for humans born within the tower and hadn’t encountered any literature that explained it.

“Where to first?” Gwyneth asked. They had refrained from making plans on the vessel to avoid eavesdroppers. Diya had caught one of the younger crewmen peeping at them when they were alone. He wasn’t sure whether Jagdish had sent him down to spy on them or the teenager was hoping to catch the pair in an amorous act. “I say we invest in a pair of hats first. We need fresh disguises for the coming floors.”

Diya nodded, watching the locals. They wore light, sleeveless clothing to deal with the heat and humidity. However, most of them wore dull-coloured cloaks as well. The fabric appeared to be the same as whatever their shirts and trousers were made of. Diya guessed it was so they could continue working despite the weather. The literature said it often rained on the sixth floor, and storms weren’t a rarity either. He guessed the locals didn’t let the weather slow them down.

The settlement turned out to be much bigger than it appeared from the water. It didn’t just extend along the water’s edge but into the mountain behind it as well. The market stretched along one of the sheltered streets. Orange lamps hung in a criss-cross pattern along the road, and the locals conducted their business in the warming light. A string instrument’s melody flowed from the one eatery they passed but was soon drowned out by vendors calling out to people passing by.

Even though Gwyneth claimed to hate fish, the local stalls’ aroma had her drooling as much as Diya. They had limited liquid funds and couldn’t afford to waste any of it. It wasn’t just a matter of buying garments, but they didn’t know what to expect when dealing with the gate’s guards. Things could potentially become difficult on the other side of the doorway too. So, the pair ventured deeper into the markets keeping their eyes peeled for modestly priced textile merchants. One found the couple before they ventured far.

“How are you so far from the hub without grisskin clothes?” The man asked, stepping in Diya’s way. It wasn’t out of the norm for vendors to find customers on the street in New Calcutta. Diya expected to venture further into the marketplace before getting body-blocked, though. Worst of all, the vendor was much too loud for the pair’s liking. The volume wasn’t much higher than the other vendors, and fortunately, didn’t draw many sets of eyes. “Your shirts and vests are horrid for the climate. It’s going to trap moisture in and let the rain out.” The vendor invited himself to rub Diya’s collar between his fingers. “It’s good fabric, don’t get me wrong, but not what you want to be wearing in this interval at all. Come to my store. My prices are the best. I promise.”

Diya stepped out of the man’s unwelcome touch. His hands darted to the pocket that housed his money. It probably was the norm here, but in New Calcutta, when a stranger got so handsy, it meant his crew were practising sleight of hand tricks. Alexander had gotten himself pickpocketed in such a fashion several years ago. The vendor backed off, holding his hands up in the air.

“I’m sorry, friend,” he said. “I forget you Climbers aren’t used to our friendly ways. Stealing is meaningless here, you see. Everything is in abundance, and there is nowhere for thieves to go but into the wild. It’s not safe out there with a well-trained party, so you’re safe.”

“We’re looking for a pair of decent hats,” Gwyneth said. “We’re done with the sixth floor and moving on to the next.”

“Strange. Ordinary Climbers don’t venture this far.” The vendor narrowed his eyes looking them up and down.

“We were hoping to bag a decent card for my spirit,” Diya quickly added. “We ended up sailing further than we would’ve liked. I didn’t find anything worthwhile, though.”

The man sighed. “That’s expected. The Montagu patrols don’t leave the beasts alone long enough to hunt and nurture their cores.” He waved towards his stall, urging the pair to follow. “You’ll want something to last you through floors seven and eight. The ninth is too hot to wear much clothing at all, and my wares won’t do you much good in the tenth’s cold.”

Diya wasn’t sure what to think of the man’s directness. Gwyneth’s expression suggested that she didn’t either. It was near impossible to tell whether the garment merchant was genuine or a ploy to get more sales. The stall in question extended into a building carved from stone. It extended from the floor all way to the humanmade cave’s flat ceiling. Diya only recognised one of the materials on display: sandile hide. The craftsman had fashioned it into ridged armour pieces, ranging from breastplates to greaves. None of that interested Diya. He made a beeline towards the mannequin adorned in local garments and cloaks.

“Finest stitching around,” the merchant declared. “My wife’s got a needle soul, you see. We were lucky enough to upgrade it with a mature weaver spider’s card. She does all her needlework with the thread, and it doesn’t break easily. We’ve got a variety of fabrics in a large selection of dies. All of them are treated to keep the rain and sea out but won’t trap the sweat in either. A cool Climber is a happy Climber. I like to say. If none of the designs here appeals to you, we can look into custom designs, of course. They cost extra—“

“We’re not fussed about colour or design,” Diya said, cutting the man off. He walked past the brightly coloured garments on display towards the folded darker ones in the back. “Our funds are limited, and we’d prefer something that doesn’t stand out.”

“We need something to deal with the sun on the next couple of floors,” Gwyneth said,

“How about white?” The man inquired, reaching for a roll of blue satin. The weave and the material appeared much grander compared to what the locals wore.

“No.” Diya’s answer made his shoulder droop. “As we said, we’re on a budget. This will need to last us until the ninth floor. I’d rather not spend all our money on something that we’ll use for a month or two.”

“Most Climbers spend years moving between floors six and eight, trying to find the perfect card for their soul,” the vendor said. “The terrain and the beasts on the ninth and tenth don’t make them the easiest grounds to traverse. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for.”

“Are you trying to rip off my friends, Hamza?” The interruption made Diya’s back stiffen. It was Ashish. They had last seen the man a little over an hour ago, and he had already unloaded his wares and changed into a new set of clothing. “They’re good people and dear to Jagdish. Are you sure you want to play your usual games?”

The man sighed, looking between Ashish and Diya. “Why did you have to come back? We’ve concluded business, haven’t we?”

“I came back to see about a commission,” Ashish said. “If you’re going to treat my friends unfairly, I’ll take my business elsewhere.”

After some thought, Diya decided to stay out of it. Hamza and Ashish appeared to have a past working relationship. They exchanged banter for a couple of minutes, throwing playful insults at one another. Their conversation helped Diya get a good sense of in-tower rates for crafted goods. They were much cheaper than what was available in Climber’s Market. Diya would’ve happily paid the outside rates. It turned out that was precisely what Hamza was pushing for.

In the end, Hamza agreed to sell a pair of light-grey cowls for one pound each. It was a lot less than what they would’ve paid outside. He had bought the materials directly from climbers without the Montagus getting the opportunity to tax them. Hamza’s wife worked as a seamstress and tanner. No New Calcuttan merchant wasn’t taking a cut either. As a result, he still walked away from the sale with a tidy profit. Diya and Gwyneth donned their new hats and used the excess material to cover their noses and mouths.