"We're in way too deep."
Ariette muttered. Every now and then, she would get slowed down or even stuck in small gaps in between thick shrubbery or trees. She had to wiggle and squirm to escape those tight crevices. It did not help that up ahead she could hear Tyr and Don chuckle heartily.
Those two were always composed, no matter the environment. She envied the way they could simply converse whilst in the midst of a life or death situation or when forced to traverse through unstable and unpredictable land. Unlike them, the more she attempted to take her mind off the tedious terrain, the more she would end up getting whipped by a branch or stabbed by a spiky tree. She peered over Tyr and Don and spotted a figure wearing a cloak, clad in shades of gray and white. Of course, it was none other than Grey, who was using a dagger lent to him to skillfully slice through the sea of leaves.
It was a crude and tiny tool, but he would take anything to not walk through the vast forest barehanded. He shot a glance backwards, gauging the distance between the group of Ascendants and himself. Only to find that they were far behind him, yet close enough to keep a watchful eye on them. After affirming his distance from the group he exhaled exhaustedly.
"Reveal yourself, Sylphie."
At once, faint wisps of light started gathering pulling themselves into a singular point. The intensity of the light increased as more gathered, forming a small orb, about the size of Grey's thumb.
"Incomplete this time…"
The orb rotated in response to Grey's inquiry. A faint whirr emanated from the orb of light, it gravitated around Grey as he traversed. Finally, the orb rang like a silver bell and a quiet voice began to speak.
["Indeed, that is correct. Why have you called me out here, Ascendant Grey?"]
"I haven't been keeping track of my rank."
["Understood, retrieving profile and pending rewards."]
Grey was cautious enough to not use any resources the Spire handed him directly, however this A.I was a different case. It kept him company periodically and presented him with useful information, all of which were accurate. If anything his mind would've given out long before his body if not for this small orb of light, or rather what it usually presented itself as; a fairy-like form.
The orb– Sylphie rotated violently as it checked for Grey's information. It abruptly stopped and its soft voice rang out once more.
["Information Retrieval: Successful."
Ascendant: Grey Aerith
Age: 17
Rank: Shard]
Blue light projected an interface onto the air, allowing Grey to review his profile. He quickly skimmed through it. Then a slight tug on his cheeks. Not enough to be called a smile, more of a momentary twitch.
'What a catch! Though I'd expect more from killing immortal cockroaches… How much worse can the Spire get?'
His eyes drifted down toward the bottom of the screen. As his eyes moved, the interface adjusted allowing him to see the information on the second page.
[ Pending Rewards: "When rewards from ranking up are not claimed, the options merge with other rewards."
Reward 1:
Neurostitch - A thin vis thread coats your spine alongside sleek nodes of orichalcum.
Customized Gear Fabrication - A single-use request. Have a weapon tailored specifically to fit your needs.
Mag-Clasp Bones - Your hands and feet contain a controllable magnetic field. Cling to magnetic surfaces at will.]
'Interesting. This set of enhancements provides many benefits, but I have yet to see the other one.'
Upon registering his thought, the interface scrolled down once more allowing Grey to see other option.
[ Reward 2:
Dreamleech Node - A minuscule pulsating bulb forms behind your ear. When sleeping near an organism, leech off of their memories.
Threaded Nerves - You can reroute pain and tactile sensations throughout your body.
Static Residue - A small reactive film above your skin. Spark small shocks at will.]
'This won't do… and I'm no genius but are rewards usually so unbalanced?'
He stretched out his hand and picked the first reward. He didn't doubt his decision for a single second, while the second reward did have its upsides… how often are you going to be sleeping next to the enemy? And rerouting pain? It's not like it goes away, if it's unbearable it stays that way. Thus Grey's decision was made with haste and without doubt.
["Excellent decision, Ascendant Grey. Enhancements will apply during a state of unconsciousness."]
The orb hummed and began to expel light, the rays slowly fading out into the environs. It was time for Sylphie to take her leave.
"Ah, before you go, at what point will you be able to completely form yourself again?"
Grey asked, attempting to squeeze an answer out of the ethereal orb. He longed to see her small tiny human-like form, and those ethereal wispy wings once again. He yearned to hear her voice, an irreplaceable melody. But most of all, he wanted someone who would stay.
For a short second light stopped fading into the background, and then Sylphie spoke.
["We'll meet again on the next layer, 'Kay Grey?"]
In that moment, and that moment only a spark of who Sylphie was returned. That sole interaction was more than enough to motivate Grey to push forward, and ascend to the next layer.
"Gotcha. I'll see you later, Sylphie."
Upon receiving a response Sylphie vibrated, and then faded out. The light that coalesced into a sphere, to form a consciousness, was no more. And once again, Grey was left alone. He sighed, his shoulders slumped. He turned around to see Tyr and his group within earshot now. In the short break he took Tyr and the rest of the group had gotten close enough to where their conversations were able to be heard by Grey.
'We'll probably have to rest here, the drastic change in environment is making it hard to traverse anyway. And besides, it's probably best to tell them about how the Nati on this layer function.'
Grey turned around and called out to Tyr's group. For a moment, Grey thought about how they had never told him about their group name… were they famous? Or maybe they just didn't have a name.
"Hey! Let's set up camp here!"
Tyr nodded, then turned and issued commands to his men. At once, they began to unload their packs, but a few of them, including Tyr, also began to chop down some trees in order to create a clearing.
Grey sat down, leaning on the trunk of a tree. He called out towards Tyr, and began to explain to him how they would deal with the Nati.
"Since everything except for us on this layer is immortal, we have to avoid as much confrontation as possible. Quite frankly, it'd be worse if the warden of this layer was also unkillable, but knowing the Spire, it probably won't put our victory condition too far out of reach. Though aside from their immortality, they actually aren't too tough, they just don't stay dead and last but not least, if I touch them with my right arm I can finish them off for good."
It was true, back then Grey had lost his right arm to black cores, but after he lost his consciousness he had found that it was completely intact.
'I had thought it was gone for good.'
After he finished explaining their course of action to Tyr, he allowed himself to rest and close his eyes. God knows he needed it for what was to come.