Book 2 Chapter 17

When the trio left the ancient structure and returned to the swamps outside, the FTF’s compass went wild. The arrow swiveled back and forth, pointing at what they had just left behind and the way forward. The mangrove forest was dense where they stood, and backtracking would require traveling through the now unstable ruins. So, they agreed to travel into the unknown towards the FTF settlement in the middle of nowhere.

Diya once again created a boat out of Slimeskin, and Oss transformed two of his extra bones into oars. Two people paddling would speed up their journey, so he threw one to Diya, and the weight almost knocked him over. It wasn’t as bad once they were sitting in the boat and resting the oar against the side of the boat, though.

“Shouldn’t we hole up for the night,” Gwyneth asked when the sky started darkening. She increased her lamp’s luminosity, making it easier for the paddling duo to navigate the mangrove roots. “There are more creatures in the water and up in the trees than there were before.”

“The power radiating off the bones will keep them away,” Oss stated.

“I don’t feel anything.” Gwyneth moved her right index finger in a slow circle, and her lamp followed a similar trajectory. “My soul enhances my vision, and believe me. We’re surrounded right now.”

“Yes, but they can sense the bones—”

“What are you, Oss?” Diya asked, cutting him off.

“I’m a—”

“I don’t want half-lies and omissions. Your face looks like you’ve been sucking on a lemon whenever you use the word humankind. Your soul doesn’t make any sense and doesn’t seem to follow the usual rules, either. Now, you’re on about bones. I’m starting to think you don’t have a soul at all.”

“Hang on a moment,” Gwyneth mumbled, furrowing her brows. “Is Oss short for Ossuary? As in a container of bones? That doesn’t sound like a real name.”

“Unless it is,” Diya said thoughtfully. “In fact, that would make so much sense.” He let go of his oar and prepared to summon the fountain pen if things went south. “You know about Gaia’s children even though you’re a solitary Climber in an early interval. Have you heard of them, Gwyn?”

She shook her head.

“It’s not common knowledge.” Diya’s eyes remained focused on Oss. “I learned of them from Neer’s journals, and he told Baba about them too. Apparently, only a handful of Climbers that have crossed the thirtieth floor have encountered them. It just doesn’t add up, Oss. You don’t claim a connection to any big family or organization. Yet you have knowledge that’s not public knowledge.” Diya’s heart beat faster in his chest. “You’re not human, are you, Oss? You’re a child of Gaia.”

Oss stared at Diya with a passive expression on his face. Then he sighed, putting down his oar. “You’re right about me not being human, but I’m not one of Gaia’s Children yet.”

“Yet?” Gwyneth asked, raising an eyebrow.

Oss didn’t reply. He sighed and watched the pair.

“We need the truth, Oss,” Diya said. “I’m not going anywhere with you unless we get an honest answer. What are you?”

“It’s a title I must earn. I climb to prove myself to Gaia and earn the honor.”

“And Ossuary is your real name?” Gwyneth had adopted her curious academic tone. The formerly distrustful air had disappeared. Diya thought it was too early for the transition but kept shut. None of the information made Oss trustworthy.

“The order I served—before I came to Gaia’s Ark bestowed the name upon me,” he answered. “It was based on my interests and inclinations. I’ve learned to develop my magic around it—”

“Power you developed?” Gwyneth’s eyes widened. “You mean you really don’t have a soul?”

Oss shook his head. “No. We cultivate our powers and the ark’s ambient energy for strength. I can revive bones and keep them alive until they’re destroyed. In return, they let me ignore their weight, shape them, and draw forth the essence of their former owner.”

The trio sat in silence as the lamp continued to rotate around the boat. When Gwyneth didn’t follow up with more questions, Diya followed up with his own queries. “If you’re not human, what are you and Explorer?”

“We’re not the same,” Oss answered. “Species and origin don’t matter to us residents of the ark. I came from a dimension much different from this one or the ark’s home. I was lost, and Explorer found me. Gaia offered me gifts much like yours, but I refused. My home will never take me back if I use borrowed power. Instead, she helped me adopt a form that both, your people and mine, will accept. I’m not the only one, though. There are many who live in the tower and climb using powers unlike yours.”

“Hold on a moment,” Diya asked. “Does this mean children born in the tower could end up the same as you?”

Oss nodded. “If they show strength and passion and don’t rush to find a soul, Gaia will reward them with a power they can cultivate. It happens more often in the higher intervals, though. In the lower ones, they often get overwhelmed and eventually regress—”

“Like the lizard people and the troglodytes,” Gwyneth mumbled. “Does that mean you’ve got a Core in you like the monsters?” Her hand disappeared into the pocket which housed the tortoise’s Core. Oss had uncovered it during the butchering.

“Yes,” Oss answered. “I shouldn’t be telling you so much, though. It’s forbidden, and I’d rather not put up with the lectures afterward. We’ve wasted enough time talking. Let’s get moving, shall we?”

Gwyneth had more questions for Oss, but he refused to answer. When she pushed him, he clarified that leaving would be his only option if she persisted. Gwyneth stopped, and they continued their journey toward the FTF settlement. As Oss predicted, the local fauna left them alone. Gwyneth almost jumped out of her skin when a loud splash sounded from just beyond her light, but Diya assured her that the beast was heading away from there. He couldn’t tell whether it was one of the long reptiles the guidebook talked about or a catfish. Diya had sighted the latter during the daylight hours, and a part of him wanted to fight them. Baba had told him stories about how delicious they were, and he wanted to try one.

Neither Oss nor Gwyneth wanted to risk it, unfortunately. They didn’t fear defeat. Both of them were sure that defeating it would take little to no effort. However, if the boat capsized or Diya dispelled it to repurpose the ink, they’d lose the valuable materials they had gathered. Oss didn’t want to risk losing the bones. Since his power let him ignore the bones’ weight, he planned on working the dense skull bones into his coat to improve his defensive capabilities. Diya recalled his Frost Blade failing to penetrate the armor. The mark he left on it barely counted as a scratch.

When he thought back to his fight with Oss—or spar, as the man called it, Diya couldn’t help but ask more questions.

“Were you holding back when we fought? The strength, speed, and defense you displayed when combatting the tortoise were incomparable, to say the least.”

“I fought you to the best of my martial capabilities,” Oss answered. “My power passively negates the weight of the bones I carry, so my armor or weapons do not weigh me down.”

“But you didn’t glow.”

Oss chuckled. “I didn’t think to draw the essence before attacking you, and then I didn’t get the time afterwards. It wouldn’t have been fair anyway. Our abilities and your souls follow different progression patterns.”

“Different, how?” Gwyneth asked.

“At the end of the day, you’re outsiders in Gaia’s eyes,” Oss replied. “Her ark is here to help you, but you fight her residents while at it. She wants you to work harder to reach the same power levels as us. After all, we are born surrounded by threats that don’t exist outside the ark. So, we start off just about strong enough to survive the floor where we earned our power. Anything outside the biome is a threat, though, and it takes a lot more effort to nurture our power.”

“I imagine the ability to empower yourself with the essence of beasts you hunt makes your life easier,” Gwyneth commented.

“It’s a versatile power and gives me a lot of adaptability. The ability to mold bones doesn’t help a lot in a fight. Besides negating weight, drawing on essence is all I have. Unfortunately, it takes too long to lure it out, and then holding on to the essence is just as big a challenge.”

“What floor are your people from, Oss?” Diya asked.

“We’re once again venturing towards information I can’t share,” he replied.

“This is my last query on the matter.” Gwyneth’s persistence made Oss sigh. He rested his oar on his lap and slumped his shoulders. “I promise. If you’re not all Children of Gaia, what do you call yourselves specifically? Diya and I are human. What are you?”

“Like I said before. Race doesn’t matter to us. We take the form we desire. Some hold onto the shape they were born with, so they can remain with their society. People like me that wish to become a Child of Gaia take whatever shape compliments our power best. I don’t require much strength or durability thanks to Gaia’s gift, so I picked a shape that makes me agile and nimble. It compliments my martial training too. If you must know. I resembled the lizardfolk when I entered the ark.”

“Compared to most, my abilities are reasonably weak.” Oss sucked on his teeth for a moment before continuing. “Like your fountain pen, Diya, it doesn’t excel in offense or defense. When I started my quest, I had nothing besides the clothes on my back—we can’t take items from our origin floor when descending. No matter how much I dislike humankind, I needed your lot to start my journey. This form lets me fit in with Climbers and use their help to start collecting bones for my progress.”

“Does this mean you have free access to move between the tower’s floors?” Gwyneth asked.

“That was your final question before, Gwyneth Frie,” Oss said. “I’m not answering anymore for now.”

“You can just call us Gwyn and Diya,” she told him. “You’ve opened up to us, and we’re companions for the time being. Calling us by our full names makes this relationship too formal. Let’s move on from that.”

Oss looked between the pair before nodding. Then he picked up his oar, and they continued paddling. Diya was glad to have the man by his side. If their partnership worked out, Oss could become the group’s vanguard.