Chapter 69: Offer

Toren Daen

I sat on the corpse of a giant beast with dark skin and a disproportionate body. Its tail was segmented in several places, and I knew from experience that it could attach and detach at certain points to create a complex fighting style.

I slowly let my Acquire phase drift back into my core. The red chains on my arm slowly dimmed, then ceased glowing entirely. I knew that the runic feather stems that shone under my eyes had disappeared, and my pupils–which had turned to molten fire–reverted to their normal hazel. The heartfire in the aether beast's chest had extinguished a few moments ago, yet I knew that my ability to see a person's lifeforce had vanished in turn.

I would need my Bond's assistance to work through the assimilation process again soon. Using my Phoenix Will accelerated the need for dispersing mana through my bones and organs.

"That wasn't so bad," I said with a weary smile as Oath and Promise drifted into their sheaths. Truthfully, my rate of improvement and growth had outstripped the challenges thrown at me as I ascended these platforms.

Except for one.

"Your control and technique have indeed improved," Lady Dawn affirmed from the side, appraising the corpse. I'd collected a few accolades from the monsters I'd slain so far, good materials and remnants that an artificer or instiller could use to improve their works. This body was no different, seeing as a few horns I'd cut were hovering toward me in an outline of white. "You do not have nearly as many injuries as you did before."

That was also true. As I'd gone through the zone, I had relied heavily on my innate healing factor to rest on the white platforms after boss battles on the black platforms. Yet as my power increased, I was able to avoid taking devastating hits every fight.

A shimmering purple portal appeared near the end of the platform. I blinked as I inspected it, unable to see through to the other side.

"So we're finally done with this zone," I said with a sigh. That was good. I didn't want to go through another red platform.

Lady Dawn must have sensed my unease at the idea of continuing on in this zone. "I should have recognized that trial's effects on your psyche sooner, Contractor," she said, a hint of regret in her tone. "I will not fail you in such a manner again."

I bit back a sigh. The red platforms in this zone tested your mental and physical endurance. But the last one had nearly claimed me, making doubt and despair scrape against the insides of my skull.

"I get why you didn't notice," I said in a short tone. I wasn't upset with her for not realizing the effects. I hadn't noticed them either.

The other red platforms bombarded me with emotions and sensations that were unfamiliar and foreign. One of them made me itch incessantly on every inch of my skin, making it nearly impossible to simply take the steps I needed to get out. Another focused on my sense of amusement, making me feel almost drunk with humor .

But I always had those nagging, depressive thoughts at the back of my mind. What happened to the people I loved in my previous life? How could I hope to change this world?

Those weren't thoughts I hadn't encountered before, so they did not seem out of the ordinary until it was nearly too late.

My bond remained silent, side-eying me as her feather-red hair rustled in an Unseen breeze.

I hopped off the large corpse, using a measured push of telekinesis against the ground to slow my fall. I loped to the portal, looking at its liquid purple finish.

I had spent three weeks or so in the Relictombs. With how time worked in the outside world, only a week or so had passed since the New Year's festival. It seemed I might have to go through a zone or two more to reach an exit portal.

I exhaled, then stepped through the pane of light.

I went rigid as I saw the next zone. An asphalt road stretched under my feet into the horizon, endless hills curving the landscape. Streetlights adorned a makeshift sidewalk, and two portals loomed at the end of a miscolored town.

I was in the same zone I'd entered with the Unblooded Party. The one with strange, twenty-first-century architecture and unnerving design.

Except now, the zone had changed. The houses lining the road weren't perfect by any means. There were still small discrepancies: maybe a window was too large, or the paint on the slats was too bright in contrast to the others. But it appeared as if a mishmash shape made of clay had finally solidified into what it wanted to be.

The zone had improved its depiction of American housing in the time since I'd been gone.

I felt goosebumps rise along my arms as I turned about warily. I felt like I was being watched; scrutinized by some unseen force. Just as before, it was as if the layers of my soul were being peeled away.

I dashed toward one of the houses, wrenching open the door. Instead of an empty white expanse inside, furnishings and decorations for a living room greeted me. A rug was along the floor. A flat-screen TV sat parallel to the window, with a leather couch opposite.

My frantic eyes darted over these things for a moment, then I rushed to explore the rest of the house. The kitchen was similar, with a microwave and oven. Modern appliances. From poking at them, I knew they didn't work. The cupboards were empty, and no pictures hung on the walls.

Hastily, I left that house, darting into the others.

They were all the same in their changes. They were like a doll's house: all outward appearance of reality, but once you looked a bit deeper the facade wore away. I wondered then, with an almost manic rush, who the doll was in this scenario.

That watching gaze never left me. I felt it from every angle all at once, and simultaneously, none at all. I didn't know whether my senses had improved dramatically from when I'd last been here, or if my watcher was more blatant in their spying.

But how many times did an ascender go through the same zone twice?

I racked my brain for information in the long binge of Relictombs knowledge I'd gone on before my preliminary ascent.

And I came up empty. No ascender had ever entered the same zone twice.

It couldn't be a coincidence.

My nerves began to settle slightly as I trudged toward the exit portal. I'd been able to leave without incident the last time, but what about now? Instincts had been engrained in me to fear this dungeon.

I turned around, inspecting the repeat zone with hesitant eyes. Nothing jumped out at me. The trees that dotted the far-off landscape didn't hold any monsters or beasts. And the watching gaze never changed.

I gulped, then stepped into the exit portal.

—

A while later, I was sitting in a simple waiting booth at the Relictombs Ascender's Association. I had dropped off the bulk of my accolades here, and the association's dedicated appraisal teams were looking over what I'd brought and cataloging how much they'd be willing to pay for them.

And so I waited. I quickly confirmed after exiting the tombs that only ten days had passed on the surface since I entered the Relictombs, and I was nervous to see what had happened to my friends in East Fiachra with the Doctrination looming over their shoulders.

I hope Greahd's doing alright, I thought, remembering the kindly woman. She's got enough on her plate without the entire district to worry about.

"She is a driven woman," my bond affirmed. "Though I have doubts as to how long she will last with such stress."

I hummed, distracting myself by counting the number of repeating patterns on the intricate ceiling above me. The Ascender's Association buildings were grand, with decor and aesthetics fitting for a palace. It always struck me as incongruous, seeing giant mountains of men with half their chests exposed waltzing around these buildings.

Someone entered my field of view from the side, drawing my eye. They wore dark trousers and simple chainmail armor, but their stark white hair set them apart from many of the random mages milling about.

The man seemed to be searching for something, his head turning about slowly and eyes roaming. When they landed on me, however, I felt apprehension rise. Those teal eyes were vaguely familiar.

Nerves, I thought. The ascender I'd met in the Shimmerken's Hoard.

He strode toward me with purpose, a confident and graceful gait accompanying him. There was something strapped to his hip that I couldn't make out just yet.

I stood slowly, feeling a strange mix of dread and calm. My last conversation with this ascender shouldn't have revealed much about my abilities or the effects I had on the Relictombs, but I got the sense this mage was looking for me in particular.

He approached me without a hint of caution, giving me a critical once-over. "Toren Daen, good to see you again," he said in greeting, his voice unconcerned. "I see you just got done with an ascent."

I narrowed my eyes, feeling immediately suspicious of Nerves. Had he sought me out in particular? "I did," I said slowly. "Though I'm afraid I don't have time to talk. I'm trading in accolades now, and then I'll be on my way. What are you here for, Nerves?"

Nerves was unphased by my obvious attempt to ward him off. "Ah, I remember the first time I submitted my accolades for appraisal," he said, nodding. "Where's your team? Did they not accompany you to turn in their own cut of the accolades?"

I squared my shoulders more. "I ascended solo. I didn't have a team."

That made Nerves start, looking at me with something approaching respect. "You're going the path of a solo ascender?" he asked, questioning. "Immediately after your prelim?"

I raised a brow. "I survived, didn't I?"

Nerves shrugged. "There aren't many solo ascenders, and I'm one of the few. Are you sure you don't want a bit of time to learn the ropes?"

"I think I've managed well so far," I said, trying to piece together Nerves' implications.

The mage across from me crossed his arms with a slight sigh, looking me up and down once more. "I'm going to be frank with you, Toren Daen. My Blood can offer to sponsor you on your future ascents. You seem promising, and you've already gone on a solo ascent after your prelim and made it out alive."

I felt a wave of disorientation wash over me from how quickly Nerves switched tactics. It sounded like he was trying to be subtle at first, but dropped the act out of nowhere. "Okay, hold on," I said raising a hand. "I don't know you or your Blood, Nerves. And I don't know what you'd want in return."

The white-haired man kept his arms crossed, tapping a few fingers against his arm. "I do not like the cloak and daggers of politics, Toren Daen, so I'll tell you straight. Highblood Denoir can sponsor you with anything you need to succeed. New armor, better weapons, teammates who can help you train, the best elixirs and–"

"Highblood Denoir?" I said a bit breathily, cutting Nerves off. "You're from Highblood Denoir?"

A few mages were giving me envious looks at my outburst, but I ignored them.

The man in front of me smirked slightly, his white teeth matching his beard. "Sevren of Highblood Denoir, at your service," he said, causing my shock to drop into something deeper. "And our Blood constantly sponsors promising ascenders, taking a cut of their earnings as payment. But you don't need to do that for our favor," he said, talking through the shock I must be displaying. "Instead, you only need to do one thing for me."

I forcefully dismissed my surprise at hearing the name Sevren Denoir . I made a little box and dumped all of my questions into it, then locked it away. It wouldn't hold, but I needed peace of mind in this interaction.

"And what would single favor be?" I asked. God, why couldn't I see it before? Nerves was literally Sevren backward!

"I'll go on a few ascents with you," Sevren started. "I want to see more of the Relictombs, and the best way is to go with different people."

Caera said the same thing as Haedrig when she approached Grey, I remembered, thinking this entire situation was rather ironic. The young woman probably heard it from her brother, then. Was this how Arthur felt, being accosted by a strange man and asked to go on an ascent?

"No," I said without hesitation. A bit of shock rolled over the people eavesdropping, and I watched Sevren's face scrunch up slightly. "I'm a solo ascender."

"If you want, we can set the exact number of ascents in a legal contract, including your own benefits," Sevren began.

I cut him off, waving a hand dismissively. "No, that's not what I meant. I mean that I won't take people with me. At all."

With how the Relictombs reacted to my presence, I was unwilling to bring people with me. How long would it take for someone to put two and two together that items from another world were popping up around me? How long would it take before that drew the attention of the Sovereigns? No, I could only be a solo ascender. Even if it meant rejecting the status that would come with being associated with one of the most powerful highbloods in Alacrya.

I heard a few gasps from the nearby ascenders who were doing a poor job of hiding how they were listening in. Sevren's face went carefully neutral, but I could swear I saw a spark of something flash in his teal eyes.

I stood straight, keeping my posture firm and reinforcing my rejection of his offer. "I'm afraid that's non-negotiable. I can do other things for you, even give your Blood a cut of my earnings. But I ascend alone."

Sevren scrutinized me with a piercing look. As he did so, that little box I'd shoved all my questions into began to slowly overflow. Caera said that Sevren was extremely knowledgeable about the Relictombs, even having unintentionally divined some of their true purposes in bestowing insight.

The more I thought about it, the more my apprehension built. This mage had sought me out expecting my presence to change the Relictombs. 

How much did he know? How much could the Unblooded party even tell him?

"Alright," Sevren said slowly, reaching into a pocket. As his hand moved, I spotted a large dagger strapped to his side, the white bone handle standing out starkly against his dark clothing. A simple hexagon was scratched into the handle. "If you ever change your mind," he said, holding out a metal card, "You can contact me here. Highblood Denoir can be generous, Toren Daen."

I took the card hesitantly just as the receptionist called my name over a speaker, signifying my accolades were done being appraised.

I nodded toward Sevren in acknowledgment. "Thank you. I will hold onto this, in the off chance I do change my mind." Better to keep him hopeful rather than burn bridges.

I walked past the scion of Highblood Denoir, heir to one of the most powerful noble families on the continent, toward the receptionist.

"You're an idiot, kid. Never seen someone with an ego large enough they'd wanna stay a solo ascender after that sorta offer," an older mage muttered nearby. "Ungrateful, you are."

I shrugged off the insult, keeping my gaze forward. I felt Sevren's eyes on my back all the way to the desk.

Sevren Denoir

I watched Toren Daen leave the Ascender's Association with a noticeable tenseness in his every step. The young man was strung tighter than a lute.

I'd received word from my sources quickly after Toren had exited the Relictombs. I'd been worried when he entered solo, fearing that my next lead would die on his second ascent. Except the weary-looking young man had been resting in the Ascender's Association, waiting for his earnings to be tallied.

The result only reinforced my guess that this ascender was different from the rest. His utter insistence on ascending alone might be viewed as a vain sense of ego by anyone else, but I knew better. If Toren's presence changed the Relictombs as he stepped through them, it made sense that he would want that kept close. After all, if he managed it right, he could get a relic.

Not even all the assurances of Highblood Denoir would make up for that.

I thought back to my last conversation with Caera. I felt like I was close to a revelation into my new subject. I just needed another push. Some sort of connection.

I was hoping that the new scenery I might see in the Relictombs alongside Toren Daen might add that final puzzle piece.

But if Toren didn't contact me himself, I had other ways to follow through. Simulets were not the most complex artifacts to dissect and understand, especially with the assistance of my regalia, Scouring Purpose.

I flipped open my aether compass, noting the brilliant purple dot on its face slowly fading as Toren walked away.