The rest of our time in the camp passes quickly. We get a tamer, he communicates with the inson for us, two of them are selected to accompany us to the ascendancy well. A few other groups also had enough of the second floor, and want to travel with us.

  Those, however, have to recruit their own tamers and beasts. I’m not spending any of my goodwill on them. Nepotism girly with the broken fingers stares at me furiously. Jean’s legs dangle off the back of the cart, even as Isabelle, his grandmother, gives me the stink eye. Maximillian and his group trudge along, too, as well as some of the species that have had more time in the tower.

  I’m pretty sure that with the storm distracted, many groups will be heading for an ascension well, and, within a few days, that suspicion proves true.

  [Observation 5 > 6]

  Dozens of hopeful climbers crowd around the well, the golden script sending a faint pillar of light for those who have achieved the requirements to ascend. We arrive in the middle of the day, and, having had enough of a meal and not wanting to wait, we decide to simply tackle the well instantly.

  Except, of course, it could never be that simple.

  “Hey! Is that you, Gem?!” Vincent asks, waving. The guy from back on Earth who tried to recruit us to his group. After the last ascendancy well, he was with a whole new pile of people. Now, again, he seems to have found new company.

  I brush my senses against him.

  [Fighter, lv. 25]

  Something is wrong with the display. I’m sure, more than sure, even. There’s a tingling sensation that whispers of danger.

  “So nice to see you again!” he says, jogging over to us. His blond hair is slicked back, and he looks even more fit than when we were back on Earth. Did he eat well during his entire time on the second floor?

  Vincent gives us a bright smile. “How’ve you been?” he asks, stepping even closer.

  I take a step back, wanting some distance. He reaches for my shoulder. Inu slabs his wrist and his arm bounces right back.

  “Ouchies!” he complains, laughing, rubbing his shoulder. “That stings. Did you shock me or something?” he asks.

  Inu nods. “Yep, it’s a function of my class. It shocks people when I slap them. The skill is pretty new, so I’m not great at suppressing it yet,” she lies. I know it was just her [Rebound] in action, but Vincent nods along.

  “No prob, no prob. I forgot about the whole… touchy thing,” he says, waving his hands through the air mockingly. “Don’t you think you’re being a bit dramatic?”

  This time, my entire party just stares at him. I know a few of the others with us like, say, Isabelle, might nod along, but… well. They don’t matter. Already, I feel the urge to kick his shin again.

  Sighing, Inu stares at him. “We’d like to advance, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Oh, yeah! No prob. We were just about to head up, too. Wanna go with my group after? I heard floor three can be a bit rough on solo expeditions.” He steps closer again. I take another step back.

  “Please let me have my personal space,” I say, calmly as I can. This guy. I lean heavily on [Observation], watching him closely.

  Vincent smiles awkwardly, then steps back, his stupidly handsome face making it seem graceful and easy. “Ah, sorry, I can get a bit too excited. My bad, my bad. But seriously, it’d be good to band up. You must be pretty strong if you’ve made it this far.”

  I look at my cutoff arm. “Really, man?” I ask.

  At that, for the very first time, he sputters and stops, seeming actually caught off guard. “Well, I, uh…”

  Opal pats his shoulder. “Sorry, bud, but we’re kinda full already. Better luck on the other side.”

  He just smiles again. “C’mon, at least consider it, I just-”

  Does he ever shut up?

  “No,” Sylves says, finally. “Stop being a weirdo. Go away. Shoo.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “Hey,” he starts. “I just wanted to invite you, no need to be so-”

  “Go. Away!” she repeats.

  He raises his hands. “Fine, fine! Jeez. Sorry.” And with that, he finally scurries off.

  How many more recruitment drives must I suffer? I share a look with Jean and see the same misery at the awkward interaction in his eyes as there must be in mine. Ah, to have a kindred spirit. Sighing softly, I ignore all the chattering of my party.

  “This is too loud,” I say. “I’m going.”

  And then, I step into the well.

  [Ascend?]

  I confirm my desire.

  The world goes blank white.

  [Challenge: Shadow’s Wreath. In creeping darkness, shadow’s stir, borrow their power, give it a twirl.]

  The bright white around me dims in seconds. The sky comes coated in thick rainclouds, though not a drop of water actually falls. And, of course, high in the sky, a single eye opens.

  [The Creeping Darkness is watching you.]

  “Can I never get some privacy in this tower?” I complain.

  The eye blinks, almost embarrassed, glancing to the side.

  [... The Creeping Darkness does not wish to draw your ire. It requests you engage with your bond. If you refuse, it will allow you to move on. It has paid a significant tribute for this area’s time dilation, and this lengthy message, and would prefer to stay quiet and observe.]

  I blink back. One of those parts sticks out to me. Time dilation.

  That must mean that I can spend more time in here than what passes outside. I look at the sky, and my surroundings. The rainclouds cover all of it, thin rays of sun making their way down into the dim world, casting long, deep shadows. There are ruined buildings all around me, streets of dark, ashen cobblestones, caved in roofs made from wood and straw, entirely unsuited to the rains that may have raged here.

  Some places bear scorch marks, too, like there’d been a fire. But there are no corpses, only long, thin shadows. I take a deep breath in, soaking in the atmosphere.

  It’s quiet. So wonderfully quiet. The lights are dim, too. It’s faintly cool, but not freezing cold. The air smells faintly of rain, but without the moldy quality that so often comes of it. Instead, it just smells of running water.

  I breathe in for a long moment. “How much is the time dilation?” I ask. For a moment, the tower is quiet. The single eye in the sky blinks its abyssal, slitted pupil, the purplish shade of its iris glinting in the light that pierces its smoky outline. It seems to be arguing with the tower, and when the answer comes, it’s a typical notification, rather than an Eye communicating with me.

  [Time here passes twenty times faster than outside. You may spend a maximum of one week.]

  My eyes scan over the notification a second, then a third time. A week. For a few hours outside. Yes. Yes please. Gently, and in a tiny motion, I nod at the eye. “Okay.”

  There. That should convey enough gratitude.

  Instead of any big words, I simply see the Eye squint a bit in what might be amusement. I look away from it, and instead focus on the floor. The dim sunlight starkly outlines my shadow across the floor. It’s even darker than those surrounding me. I stretch out a hand and tap it against the cold cobblestone, watching the darkness ripple.

  Kuro crawls out from that tiny gap in the floor.

  They’ve grown a bit since I’ve last checked on them, and been a faithful companion. They helped me fight the paladin, and even insulated my feet against the icy sleet. What a brave critter. Why are they so loyal to me, I wonder?

  Slowly, I pet them with my hand. The flesh made from shadow is squishy and pleasantly cool, a little bit like a dark marshmallow. They shift a little bit to be more reminiscent of the inson, though it looks like a child sculpted them out of black clay. I snicker a little to myself. “No, silly, you don’t have to mimick anything. You’re plenty cute.”

  At my admonishment, the critter lets out a faint grumble, somewhere between annoyed at having its efforts shot down, and yet happy at not needing to put in effort. It shifts again, withdrawing into a malleable mass, then forming into the shape of a centipede… thing.

  Their head is just a little too round, and the legs are less jagged and spiky and more squishy. They feel a little sticky on my skin, but they leave not even a hint of residue when the little critter walks up my arm. I [Observe] carefully, but there is no malice there. Kuro’s smart enough to understand me, somehow, and wouldn’t want to hurt me.

  And yet, as they faintly hum a discordant melody, I can tell they’re hungry. Smiling softly, I summon a mana dagger, then slice open my palm. Amusingly, this action reduces my total amount of pain, since the mana in my vessel decreases and some of the pressure against my chest disappears.

  I really should figure that out before it becomes a problem. Ah well. I’ll get there, eventually. Surely it’s not something as silly as needing enough points in heart in order to tolerate my massive amounts of mana, right? Surely not. Maybe. Surely.

  Instead of worrying about that, I squeeze the cut on my palm, suppressing the pain and letting Kuro drink my blood. The critter chitters happily as they eat. I, personally, can’t imagine a pure blood diet going well, but they seem to be healthy. “Do you need to eat anything else?”

  Kuro tilts their squishy little head and makes a small popping noise at me. Then, they simply resume slurping my blood, seeming plenty pleased with it. “Fair enough, then,” I say. The words trail off, and the world returns to blessed, blessed silence.

  This place is empty, and I could not be more pleased. With a week of time at my hands, I look to Kuro. I wonder… what will I be able to learn from them with seven days to practice?