Book 2 Chapter 12

Diya’s right hand jumped to the axe at his waist as he spun to his left. It was the mining party from before. Most of them sat not far away with their legs dangling in the water. Only one of them had a pickaxe out now. The rest didn’t carry any obvious tools or weapons—except the one with the bone club. He stood further away from them, leaning against the cave wall and chewing a piece of jerky.

“It is,” Gwyneth replied. It was too late for her to hide her face. She maintained a casual grip on her weapon while her soul floated close by her side. “How did you find this place?”

“It’s a poorly kept secret among people foolish enough to delve into the crags,” the woman replied. She was the only female in the party. Diya realized that her clothing didn’t fit a miner's or a regular Climber’s on closer inspection. She wore a long cheongsam—a traditional Chinese dress—with a long slit running up the side. “It’s the heart. All the streams and paths eventually lead here. Unfortunately, most people turn back before they make it this far.”

“Gaia hides her beauties from cowards,” the club-wielding man said.

“That’s right, Oss,” the woman replied, waving towards the expanse of flat stone they had claimed. It wasn’t just the woman that wasn’t dressed for mining. One of them wore skin-tight clothing, showing off a petite but muscled figure. “Why don’t you come to join us?”

“Well, enjoy your rest,” Diya said, smiling. He clutched Gwyn’s hand behind his back and gave it a squeeze. They had made a mistake writing them off as miners. He suspected the pickaxe wielder had replicated his tool to fool them. “We best be moving on.”

“I’m afraid we can’t allow that,” the woman said, smiling. “This picturesque spot will have to become your grave, Diya Sen.” Diya’s back stiffened when she spoke his name. “There’s a bounty on your head, and we’re here to collect.”

“Are you cocky or stupid?” Diya asked, backpedaling towards the exit. He summoned the fountain pen into his left hand, and his newest spear manifested a heartbeat later. Seeker’s Lantern hummed to life behind him. The air’s smell changed as lightning crackled around the soul. “I thought only idiots in cheap novels announce themselves like that. Why not just jump and kill us?”

“No.” The woman sighed. “That’s what I suggested initially, but you’ve pissed the client off. He wants you humiliated and beaten before we kill you.” She flicked her wrists, and claws sprung forth from her dainty hands. Her pickaxe-carrying companion groaned, climbing onto his feet behind her. The other two jumped into offensive positions, too, while the club-wielder remained passive. “Miss Frie, on the other hand, we’d appreciate it if you stand down. You’re meant to be a gift and would be best left unharmed.”

“You’re as stupid as Edgar,” Diya said, peeking over his shoulder. He recalled the tunnel being a lot closer. It would take them at least five seconds to reach its safety. “If you’re expecting prey, at least set up a trap for them.” Then he turned, grabbing Gwyneth’s arm in his left hand. “Run!” He exclaimed, pulling her away from the water.

The woman laughed, and the stones slid closed, cutting off their access to the tunnel. “It’s nothing personal, of course,” she told them before waving to her companions. “It’s a bad idea to anger the rich unless you can afford to fend off their wrath.”

“Close your eyes!” Gwyneth hissed into his ear, and Diya obeyed. Despite his closed eyelids, he saw the bright flash of light, and their opponents screamed a moment later.

Diya and Gwyneth ran along the path, circling the water and heading toward higher ground. Diya peeked over his shoulder as their blinded foes recovered, measuring the threat. The woman had to be a beast spirit user. Looking at her lithe body, green-yellow eyes, and clawed fingers, it was apparent she used augmentation to turn her body into a weapon. Diya was sure the pickaxe wielder had a tool type. The spirit in his hands was glowing for several moments after the rocks wobbled like jelly.

One of the other two pursuing them had jumped into the water after the flash. Diya wasn’t sure what he could do, but the other had already summoned their plant spirit: a tangle of dark-brown brambles. Meanwhile, the club-wielder appeared unphased. He hadn’t given chase. Instead, the man whipped his free hand towards them, and seconds later, a trio of white spikes flew past Diya’s head. They struck the stone wall and shattered before falling into several bits of broken bone.

When the pair reached another exit, the sound of a pickaxe striking stone reached Diya’s ears. The rock around the tunnel entrance wobbled once again before shifting to block off the exit. The pair didn’t let it slow them down. They were rushing up an uphill stretch when Gwyneth stepped on a clump of loosing gravel. She fell on her front, and air left her lungs audibly.

“Separate them!” The attacking party’s leader screamed.

Diya turned around just in time to see the bramble-spirit user launch thorny spheres at them. Dodging wasn’t an option since it would result in Gwyn getting hurt. Diya crouched, holding the gauntlet in front of him and baring his slimeskin-protected shoulder.

“Harden,” he whispered, focusing on the gauntlet and his coat. The Slimeskin hardened just in time, protecting him from the thorns, but the force sent him staggering backward. Gwyneth caught him, saving Diya from stumbling over her.

“Relax,” Diya whispered, regaining his mobility. He summoned the fountain pen into the gauntlet slot just below his wrist. Diya pointed his palm at the pursuers and cast Seeking Exploding Frostfire Bolts. The blades that manifested were almost as long as Diya’s forearm. They glistened with the shine of frozen ink, and a cyan flame surrounded them. He launched them at the augmented woman.

As expected of a beast-soul user, she danced out of the way, leaping off the ground onto the wall. The projectiles exploded, drawing a cry of pain from the pickaxe-wielding man, but Diya failed to see the damage. The woman pushed off the wall with all four limbs, launching herself at the pair. A skin-colored tail extended through one of the slits in her dress. Jagged spikes grew out of them, and one tipped it like an ugly stinger.

Diya summoned his newest Slimeskin to summon and lashed it against the wall behind them. He wrapped an arm around Gwyneth’s waist and retracted the tentacle, pulling them away from the woman’s landing spot. The unrelenting augmented climber leaped at them again as soon as she landed. Diya had hoped she’d do just that.

When retracting the tentacle, Diya had drawn it into the launcher. “Relax,” he whispered, directing the command to the bands along it. As he felt them relax, Diya pointed the gauntlet at the woman before launching the slimeskin summon, willing all of the keywords to activate.

The woman’s eyes widened as she realised her mistake, but it was too late. She screamed as the unfurled mesh wrapped around her body. Diya would’ve liked to run in and put her down. They had come after him with murder on their minds. As a result, they didn’t deserve mercy. However, four others were coming for him now.

The pickaxe wielder had closed in behind the augmenter. Once he caught up to his companion, he raised his tool spirit high above his head before bringing it down hard on the stony ground. The rocks rippled around the point of impact before a wave of stone rushed toward him. Diya summoned another slimeskin tentacle to dodge. The surge followed him a short distance before exploding. Spikes as tall as Diya burst from the ground.

Gwyneth jumped into action when one of the attackers burst out of the water next to them. There weren’t any apparent augmentations or summons at play, displaying what she had used to launch herself at them. His instincts told him it was the former. Despite his martial combat skill, he didn’t fancy testing himself against a probably twice-upgraded beast-type at melee range. So, he was relieved when Gwyneth unleashed her attack spell.

In most instances, the lightning spell was a pain to aim for. It rarely traveled in a straight line on the way to its target and tended to hit off the mark. The added time needed to cast the spell added further challenges. However, the woman was soaked from her time underwater and was flying at them, brandishing a pair of iron daggers. The spell arced mid-air to find her.

It was the first time Diya had seen the lightning bolt strike someone at close-range. The woman didn’t scream. Instead, she hung in the air for a moment, connected to Gwyneth by the string of energy. Then she dropped back into the water, limp and smoking. Not long after, the smell of burnt hair and skin reached Diya’s nose, turning his stomach.

The bramble-spirit user screamed, charging past the pickaxe-wielder. Thorny spheres emerged from within her sleeve and glowed a bright green. Instead of continuing the retreat, Diya charged in to meet her. He conjured the seeking blades again but didn’t fire them straight away. Instead, he let their cold add to his coat’s now active Frost Aura, hoping together they’d empower the spear’s piercing cold.

A swing of the spear knocked one thorny sphere out of the air, but another struck Diya’s shoulder. The thick Slimeskin padding wobbled, absorbing the force, but several spikes bit through, piercing Diya’s shoulder. The wounds weren’t deep, so he had no trouble ignoring them. Diya staggered, compensating for the attack’s force but didn’t fall. Instead, he turned the imbalanced footstep into a spin and slashed at the woman with the spearhead.

Diya didn’t expect his attack to hit its target. The woman had thrown up a wall of woody brambles to block his attack. His swing bit into it but got tangled before making it all the way through. He let go of his weapon, fell into a crouch, and threw a left hook. The brambles were less spread out close to the ground, and his attack shot through the gap. Unfortunately, Diya’s reach wasn’t sufficient to strike her. He didn’t fancy having the conjured blades explode at close range, so he let the fountain pen slide out of its slot into his hand, and he stabbed her in the calf with it.

If the following scream didn’t make Diya hesitate, he would’ve finished her, but it made his ears hurt, and chest tighten. The pickaxe struck stone once more, and a mass of rock grew out of the wall and into Diya. The force wasn’t sufficient to hurt him as the spikes would’ve, but it pushed both him and the woman off their feet. Her companion caught her, but Diya came dangerously close to stumbling into the water. He tried to grab onto the brambles, but they turned brittle when the lance had touched them. The wood cracked and crumbled in Diya’s grip. It was Baba’s lessons that helped him fix his footing and regain balance.

Diya thanked Gaia. If their foe hadn’t underestimated them, he’d be dead and Gwyneth captured. Before he could celebrate, the fifth member of the enemy party descended on Diya, capitalizing on his compromised position. If not for his enhanced hearing, Diya would’ve missed the whoosh of air that followed the giant bone club. Diya leaned backward, and the weapon just about missed the tip of his nose. He fell on his back and kicked his feet, scrambling away from the giant man. Up close, he didn’t appear particularly large, but the bone club was massive. Diya couldn’t make heads or tails of how a man with dimensions similar to his could wield it.

A wave of exhaustion hit Diya as he fired the exploding blades at the attacker. He blocked them with the giant club, but the explosion left it cracked, and frost fire sprayed on him. Yet the club-wielder refused to give Diya a chance to regain his footing. Gwyneth launched an attack spell at the man, but he blocked it with the bone club again. It singed the weapon and added to the cracks, but the bone held.

Diya used the opportunity to lash the wall behind him and then retract the tentacle to pull himself away. Despite the increased ink stores, the fight had drained a surprising quantity from the well. Because of the difference in numbers, Diya hadn’t given conserving his stores much thought. He had fired multiple sets of seeking blades, launched a large mesh, and abandoned a spear.

No point in saving ink if our lives are at stake.

Diya waited until the man charged at him once again before launching another slimeskin mesh. He didn’t miss.

Gwyneth helped Diya onto his feet. She turned to face the attackers once more, but Diya grabbed her hand and shook his head. Two of them were tangled in nets. One lay on the ground clutching their leg, and another’s motionless body floated in the giant pool. Only the pick-axe wielder remained upright and was staring at them with hesitant eyes. If either of the trapped individuals broke free, the assassins would win, and Diya didn’t fancy his chances against the club-wielding man. Despite Frost Aura and Piercing Cold, the mesh had already started to rip and crack.

“Conserve your energy,” Diya said. He pointed at a nearby tunnel.

Gwyneth nodded, and they ran.