Jace reached the Portkeeper early. He glossed over the tight straps of his dark leather armor for any loose bracers as the trusty silver sword rested at his hip, ready to be drawn for any incoming monsters that wanted to challenge the Climber.
When was the last time he had ever felt this excited to ascend in the Tower? Normally, he would be riddled with unease by his own invading thoughts of the unknown adversaries of the Floors.
But now, he couldn't have been any more stoked for the Soul to echo into his ears about gaining experience. After being banished into a life of temporary normalcy, his arms were itching for a fight.
More so, he wanted to ascend from this cursed Safeworld. For some reason, the sun had never set on the horizon. It stayed morning forever, as if Sun Valley had never known the term of night.
'Maybe that explains the heavy drapes in my room…'
Every Floor had their own set of conditions, though for this one in particular, living through daytime in every reach of the world was already challenging enough.
Jace had also wondered if any other Climber suffered from insomnia, because time moved differently through Floors, they wouldn't have many chances to realign their circadian rhythm.
'Well, that's not a problem for me. Just throw me up there and let me slay some monsters.'
After a few minutes of pacing around the artificial Port from afar, he caught a young blonde girl coming into his view.
Erin wore a light, collared, blouse that was unbuttoned to show her clavicle. Her dark trousers were loose, allowing free movement for the already steep incline of the Port Town.
The blonde girl was absolutely stunning. Compared to where Jace had always seen her in leather armor, he had never come across an appearance that looked normal.
Her small face was always beautiful yet the constant shine of the sun was giving the flawless skin even more perfection. Her soft blonde hair was tied into a short pony-tail, as some of the strands gracefully fell down on the sides of her face. It was a fashion that looked more appropriate to humans than a Climber.
Jace snapped out of his trance, realizing how hard he was staring at the blonde girl. But she looked to be doing the same, trying to figure out the auburn boy's strange attire.
They both said in unison:
"What are you wearing?"
Jace looked over his dark leather armor again, then studied her stunningly contrasted outfit.
"I'm in my gear, where the hell is yours? You're going to ascend the Tower wearing just that?"
Erin's face drew back in shock.
"Ascend the Tower? Why would we be ascending the Tower?! We're going out to spend time together, not fighting our lives with monsters!"
"Then why didn't you tell me that?!"
"I did tell you that!"
Jace vigorously rubbed his face, embarrassed and confused by the misunderstanding between them.
'How could she possibly mix the two together? Of course I wanted to ascend the Tower, that was the whole purpose of a Climber! When have I ever wanted a…date? Is this a date?'
Before he could reach that assumption, the beautiful blonde girl had already caught beside him.
'Whatever…I'll do whatever it takes for me to strengthen my Soul, even if I have to lose some dignity.'
Though, what dignity could the auburn boy possibly lose? The stares from the passing commoners couldn't have been any more obvious, as if they were trying to process the unusual dynamic between the rugged auburn boy and stunning blonde girl.
One that was dressed like a top model, standing near the other that was prepared to soil blood all over his dark leather armor.
Jace let out a long groan.
"I'll change."
But Erin grabbed his wrist.
"Nope, too late, you're going to have to wear that for the entire time."
He scoffed, until he realized it wasn't a joke.
"Seriously?"
She grinned.
"Of course, Jace, are you really going to make me wait for you? Come on, I can show you around the Port Town."
Some time later, the two Climbers enjoyed their time away from their duties, from slaying monsters to visiting attractions. None of this had impressed Jace, especially when he looked to be fully geared for an expedition, but there was some obligation in his chest to follow the beautiful blonde girl.
If she wanted to pretend to be a human, then it didn't seem strange at all, knowing their past lives had drastically changed by the Soul. Perhaps their outing had only been a reminder to the two Climbers who they once were.
To be ordinary, the greatest challenge for those afflicted with the Soul.
The two wandered into the market area of the Port Town, passing by fragrant aromas and sizzling meat, Jace was honestly fatigued by the amounts of protein the vendors were cooking. After scarfing down the absurd servings of slathered ribs yesterday, he couldn't find himself indulging in it again.
Erin, however, handed him the other skewer of meat with a smile that looked too alluring to refuse.
He gulped, deciding it was best for him to be in her favor when she was the only key for his expeditions.
For the next few hours, they continued walking through the Port Town of Sun Valley, sparking a few interesting conversations along the way.
Erin had actually lived in Sun Valley, in a residence that was not as far from Jace's luxury inn.
He had chosen to keep the reserve of chrome coins a secret. Though, watching her pay for all of the expenses during the outing was undoubtedly shameful for the auburn boy.
'It was her idea anyway, why would I care? Did she seriously think that I wanted to spend my time as a useless human?'
But no matter how much he wrestled with his own dilemma, following behind the blonde girl was contradictory enough. Nothing about their outing had been unpleasant, rather he found the Port Town to be more expansive as he thought.
Erin wasn't showing him around, she was showing him a part of her life. For some reason, he had thought every Climbers lived like frugal survivors, picking off their meals and earnings by every expedition.
That principle had only applied to Jace, an orphaned boy without any parents or proper care. He had been born into nothing, grown up with nothing, and the Soul was his only chance for another life. In a way, the Tower was the liberation for humans that never knew the guarantee of a future.
The Soul gave them purpose, a meaning in their lives, and presented them with new worlds and identities. In Arcadia, their former and ruined world, Jace was a worthless orphan with no value, but in the Tower, he was a Climber.
Yet, through the blurring line between human and Climber, there was at least some moral in his heart to keep behind the blonde girl as she led him further into the Port Town.
***
Finally, they settled on a high outdoor cafe, sitting beside a stone railing with a vast and amazing overlook of the Port Town. For the remainder of their outing, he chose to use his own chrome coins to pay for all the expenses. It was the least he could do for her undivided attention.
The cafe had specialized in pastries and miniature desserts, something that felt overpriced for its small servings. Though the outrageous prices became irrelevant to him. Money was no longer an issue.
Jace had already found what he wanted.
Erin helped herself with a forkful of vanilla cake, awaiting his review on the moist and delicate treat. They were only sitting a few feet across from each other.
He lifted his eyes, noticing her gaze.
"It's good."
She softly grinned, eating another forkful of the cake. Then, she said:
"I made it myself."
"Seriously?"
She nodded, gesturing to the cafe around them.
"I work here, Jace, did you really think I spend all of my time with Heather's squad?"
He grimaced upon hearing the bastard's name, though he should have figured that every Climber had their own different life. None of them were so adamant like Jace, dedicating each hour to strengthening their Soul in every Floor of the Tower.
At least Erin had somewhat of a better work than Jace. Taking orders and baking delights had sounded far better than bargaining with difficult customers.
Erin slowed down her intake of the sweets and asked directly, the same question that must have been left unanswered.
"What are you doing here, Jace?"
He averted his eyes, considering his answer of strengthening his Soul sounded too immature and stubborn. But why was he really here? Even asking himself the question, he already knew the answer.
Because he didn't want to be left behind. He hated knowing other Climbers like him were fighting relentlessly while he stayed complacent in his comforts. Sitting around in a Safeworld, eating deserts alongside a beautiful blonde girl, none of these occasions were in his agenda.
He decided to answer, despite his protesting nerves trying to save him from embarrassment.
"I want to get stronger."
She looked at him, compliant with his short and vague answer.
"Then why were you with Agnes? Is she a part of that, too?"
"Someone told me she could forge me a Climber's license without the process of the administration. But when you said you already had one, I…thought we could ascend the Tower with just us two."
Even if he kept his eyes onto his own cake, he knew a small grin was tugging across her lips.
'I can't believe I said that, seriously, I'm like a kid to her.'
Erin stifled another giggle and said back:
"That's adorable."
Jace gritted his teeth, mumbling something under his breath.
She pointed with her fork, tracing the figure of his body.
"It must have been a natural coincidence for you to ascend to the eleventh Floor, the same Safeworld that I happen to live in."
He subtly shook his head, at least appreciative the moist cake was to his liking.
'Not a natural coincidence, because I know the Tower and Soul had been scheming this ever since it threw me here. How sadistic could those two truly be?'
She asked him another question, as if she was interrogating the auburn boy with convincing desserts to loosen him up.
"Do you remember yesterday, at the doorstep of Agnes's home, you were walking like an old man. Your legs weren't working. Did something happen? Did you get into a fight?"
He had forgotten how observant the blonde girl was. It was even more evident when her attention was constantly fixed onto his worrisome self. Though, he said back indifferently:
"Nothing happened."
Erin clicked her tongue, still annoyed by his stubborn way of keeping his conflicts to himself.
"You said you came here for a forged license, meaning you should have used a Port Crystal to find Agnes."
Jace began to slowly eat his cake, totally ensnared to the blonde girl as she unraveled his pitiful secrets.
Erin continued spilling out more deductions.
"You're stuck on this Floor, that's why you wanted me to help you ascend. There's no monsters anywhere in any Safeworld, so a sudden encounter is out of the question. And knowing you, you don't start random fights with any innocent humans. You've done something, haven't you?"
Jace shook his head again and said back, believing in his own lie.
"Have you ever woken up with your leg asleep—"
Erin pointed the fork closer across the small table, threatening the auburn boy.
"Stop that. What did you do, Jace?"
He lowered her fork, glancing at the curious looks of the other humans around them.
"Can we not make a scene, please?"
She sat back, folding her arms.
"Agnes told me, you know."
His heart slightly dropped to his stomach.
"Told you…what, exactly?"
A dark expression covered her eyes as she muttered the next words.
"That you have a Curse in your Soul..."