Chapter 29 [Intertwined]

“Rowan, over here!”

I looked up from the pile of debris I was sifting through and saw David hovering above the broken buildings just a few streets over. He waved one arm over his head while pointing down at something I couldn’t see on the other side of a high, crumbling wall. Rosie leapt from her place on my shoulder and flew over the obstacles to get a look at what he’d found.

“The hard way for me, then.” I eyed an empty doorway about seven meters up the wall, cracked my knuckles, tucked my cane beneath my arm, then got a running start toward the opening. My foot hit the base of the wall, then I pushed upward, using Dash to easily cover the distance. With a barely audible thud, I landed perfectly in the center of the doorway.

A soft clap and a whistle came from somewhere above me, and I looked up to see both of my Summons celebrating my fashionable arrival. I grinned, crossed my arm over my chest, and bowed elegantly while calling out, “Thank you! Thank you! If you’d kindly hold your applause, the show has yet to end!”

Whatever had been on the other side of the doorway was gone now, the floor beyond having collapsed in on itself along with the ceiling above it, then crashing into an open space far below street level. At the far end of the structure, however, near a set of somewhat intact stairs and resting a few meters behind what I believed to be a row of evenly spaced kiosks, I saw a well preserved, shining metal door. The front of the door was adorned with what looked to be the wheel of a large ship.

That must be what I’m after—it’s almost exactly what Nathaniel described.

I didn’t care to wait for Dash to come off cooldown, so I scanned the somewhat intact outer walls of the vast structure and pathed out a viable route from there. I leapt from the doorway, caught a ribbed stick of metal with my free hand, swung forward and kicked out, releasing my hold and letting the momentum carry me to a cluster of fissured pillars that had likely once supported the structure.

After planting my foot against the first, I twisted slightly and jumped to another, then repeated the action six more times before I felt close enough to the floor to use Featherfall. My descent slowed slightly, and when my boots hit the shattered tile floor, the impact was as light as though I’d only dropped a few meters. I flicked my eyes toward the exit, noting its near-fifteen-meter-height, then turned to face the strange door.

“You made that look so simple,” David said as he came to float beside me. At the same time, I felt Rosie settle in her usual position on my opposing shoulder. David hovered up to the round door, placed his hand on the wheel, then said, “I tried to peek inside, but I can’t go through it.”

“Is that so?” I asked, surprised. “Appraising Eye only shows it as a locked door—”

[Name: Vault Door]

[Description: A dense, sturdy door designed for the purpose of protecting valuable contents within a vault]

“There’s no Rank and it’s not a Relic,” I continued, then attempted to turn the massive wheel, which didn’t budge. I grunted, then said, “Though I’ve no intentions of questioning your insight, I feel I must ask—have you tried the walls surrounding it?”

“I did,” David replied swiftly, apparently taking no offence to my query. “I can move through the stone no problem, but I was stopped by more walls that were crafted just like this door. Once, I found a small box in the headmaster’s desk at the Academy that I couldn’t get in… and by found, I mean I whacked my head on it flying around his office one day. It really hurt.”

“Interesting. Is that the only other time you’ve had an issue passing through something?” I asked while running my hand over the smooth, unblemished metal.

“Hmm… There were some Cards that some of the wealthier students had that kept me from their rooms. Eavesdropping and moving things while people were gone or sleeping was always fun.” David scratched his temple. “Oh! I did try going down a few times, back when I was learning the carvings on the stairs to the First Floor to pass the time. It was just like this.”

“I see. No matter,” I said cheerily. “For now, let’s find that switch that Nathaniel mentioned. He said it would be nearby.”

“It’s over there.” David pointed toward one of the less dilapidated desks positioned between where we were standing and one of the many kiosks. David used his finger to trace a line under the stone floor and up to the wall beside the door. “There’s a track or pipe or something that connects a lever under that desk to this spot on the wall.”

“Thank you, David! That saves us quite a bit of time.” I walked over and knelt in the thick dust, but before I could locate the switch, something under my foot crunched. I leapt back, my blade already out of its sheath, then felt silly when I saw what had made the noise.

Beneath my footprint—and the thinned layer of dust that my sudden movement had scattered about—I saw a pane of broken glass reflecting the dim light of the open sky above. Curious, I leaned in and picked up the damaged piece by its metal frame.

There, mounted between two panes of glass, were multiple well-preserved tokens and uniformly trimmed leaves of paper. Each of the papers had numbers ranging from five to fifty and were stamped with the image of a woman with a crown on a head of curled hair. The flowing script across the top read Bank of England and the number was also spelled out along the bottom with the word Pound attached.

[Name: Bank Note]

[Description: A form of currency backed by the supply and demand of an economy]

None of the municipalities have ever had a Bank of England. I frowned and allowed the compartmentalized memories of the history I’d studied to flow to the forefront of my thoughts. Not one mention. Why have the numerical value spelled out if you’re also going to have the number displayed? These are different colors as well… perhaps the population was illiterate? And what a rudimentary form of currency. Backed by supply and demand? That’s rubbish. What determines supply and demand? More importantly, who determines supply and demand?

I shuddered, imagining the amount of control one would have if they could simply state that an Essence was suddenly worth more or less than it had been the day before. Of course, that couldn’t happen, since Essence was compressed Plagued energy, and the laws of the world determined that one would always be one.

The value of itemsfluctuating due to supply and demand, sure, but currency? How silly. I studied the woman on the face of the note—she looked tired and unhappy. She must have been a ruler or figurehead. I imagine I’d be equally stressed if I constantly had to make adjustments to keep the population from becoming self-sufficient while also ensuring that they could fulfil their needs.

I glanced over the tokens, instantly memorizing their designs, then lay the frame aside and looked beneath the desk. There, just far enough back where a seated someone couldn’t bump it, I found the small metal lever David had pointed out. I reached in and flipped it.

An audible click sounded from behind me, followed by a whirring sound that I could only describe as something spinning. I stood, cast cleanse on my trousers, then turned and saw a small panel to the left of the vault sliding down and out of sight. It was all so seamless that not only had I not been able to see any difference in the wall, but now that the space was open, I couldn’t tell where the panel had gone.

Magnificent.

I rushed over, examining the slanted glass pad that had been revealed. That was it. No numbers to input a code. No slot to insert a key or shard of Essence. Just a glass pad.

As instructed, I placed my hand on the glass and waited. After only a moment, the glass came to life, a grid pattern appearing beneath my palm and a blue line of light moving back and forth along the panel. If it weren’t for having been warned of the oddity, I may have pulled back.

The strange Relic that wasn’t actually a Relic finished what it was doing, flashed twice, then went dark. A click followed somewhere above the door, which suddenly began to vibrate, and the sounds of clanking metal and turning gears echoed around me—much the same sounds regularly heard while passing through the York municipality, with their many gears and glass tubes adorning the buildings. I watched in wonder as the previously immovable wheel turned on its own until there was a much louder click than the first.

Air hissedfrom around the edges of the massive round door, blowing dust in every direction, before it broke from its seal and groaned open on unseen hinges. The whole ordeal took less than a minute and left the door hanging only a few centimeters from the wall.

What a theatrical performance.

I stepped forward, grabbed the handle, then hauled the door the rest of the way open, revealing… a mostly empty space. The room within was no larger than my rear patio and held no contents aside from a single, waist-high podium at its center. After checking to make sure the door couldn’t close on its own, I stepped over the threshold and approached the dais.

Hmm. Aside from the glass on top, it’s nothing more than a metal stand. The glass itself was similar to the one hidden in the wall outside, angled with the side where I stood slightly lower than the other. I pressed my hand against it… and nothing happened. I ran my fingers across the top, found no imperfections, then felt around the sides—where I found four holes cut into its backside, facing the empty wall opposite the entrance. Is this what we need the parts for?

I inspected the holes, finding them rectangular and hiding different colored bits of metal within. Next to each of the four holes was a Circuit-like symbol that looked almost like a tree. There was a circle on the bottom, then a line extending up from it which branched off into three lines that ended in a circle, triangle, and square respectively.

I’ve seen this before—

“I’ve seen that before,” David said simultaneously. He continued, completely unaware that his words had lapped over my thoughts, “There’s two by the stairs on the First Floor. One’s at the base of the stairs leading up, the other one’s in the same spot where the stairs are leading down.”

“Perfectly centered with the first stair going in each direction,” I added, then stood and beckoned him to follow. “They somewhat resemble arrows, pointing in whichever direction the stairs lead.”

“Yeah! Does every set of stairs have one?” David asked.

“The Origin Floor does, along with every set up to the Tenth Floor,” I answered while stepping out of the vault. “Everything’s intertwined. I’m starting to feel there’s more to the in-between than just the challenges offered by the Tower.”

I took a quick look at my directional Relic, taking note of the others’ approximate locations. One of the silver specs was wobbling slightly to the east, where I’d sent Francis with Aurora and Locke to look after the two of them. There were no Beasts to contend with, but I wasn’t sure what obstacles they’d have to face, and Francis wouldn’t have any troubles getting them where they needed to be without my having to worry about Locke collapsing again—Rosie’s spores had helped ease him into the harsh climate, but not so much that he could go unaccompanied.

The other silver spec was pressed against the bottom of the glass, in the direction Nathaniel had gone. After a short debate on who was faster, it was agreed that Kasamira would take both the southwest and western doors, Nathaniel would take the door in the southeast—which was farthest from our point of arrival—Aurora and Locke would take Francis and head to the northeastern door, while I’d travel on foot to the northernmost and closest of the five.

If Aurora and Locke are directly east, then they’ve likely already opened their room and are heading back to our point of arrival. I started walking toward the exit instead of the pillars I’d used as stepping stones when coming down—it would be close, but I felt there’d be no need for the performance with Dash off cooldown. That’s good. I was concerned they’d disregard the arrangement and head to the second ring.

I got a running start and leapt toward the open doorway. At the peak of my arc, my foot seemed to catch on the air itself as I Dashed upward, arm outstretched and aiming to grab the base of the doorway. Ten meters. Six. Two.

Bloody hell, I cursed inwardly. Dash had reached its limits and my momentum was slowing—I was going to fall short by just a few centimeters. I glanced at the sickly plants creeping through the opening and mentally called out, “David, tell Rosie to ready an Entangle on those vines!”

“No need for that, Boss!” David replied, his voice filled with mirth.

Before I could respond, a small, pale hand shot down from the doorframe’s edge, grabbing my wrist and arresting my fall. I was hauled up onto the narrow ledge… and only a hair’s breadth from a waiting Kas. I slapped my free hand against the doorframe just above the smirking woman, stopping myself from tumbling into her, but still standing so close that the frills of her dress rubbed against my jacket.

Neither of us moved.

I stared down at her, noticing the mischievous glint in her eyes and not missing the way our bodies pressed with every breath. Her lips parted slightly, followed by a warm, ragged breath. My blood raced. I could feel my body trying to react to hers… and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“Fancy meeting you here,” I said quietly.

Kas glanced away, lightly bit her bottom lip, then smiled, and giggled playfully. “I thought you could use a hand.”

I used the joke as an excuse to break the tension and pushed myself back. She didn’t appear to be upset as I stepped away, so I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, then chuckled audibly.

“You’re right, Kas. A hand is just what I needed.” I smiled and lifted the wrist she’d grabbed, only to find that she wasn’t holding my wrist like she had been. Our fingers were intertwined with both our palms pressing together.

“Sooo…” David floated upside down between the two of us, though we could still see each other through his ghostly form. He spun on his head like a top to look at us both, then asked, “When’s the wedding?”

Kasamira blushed—the first time I’d seen her do such a thing despite the constant flirting. She didn’t say anything, but she also didn’t release her grip on mine.

I used my free hand and motioned south.

“How’s about we finish one plan before making another, yeah?” I asked.

David laughed and started flying south. Kas smiled embarrassedly, then stepped from the doorway… dragging me along with her.