It was a vague description, only feeding into more of his suspicions. Did it give him the ability to predict the future, or only the warning of danger? He was at least surprised that the Soul would give him such a Skill.
Jace shifted his body around, facing his back to the blonde girl.
"Could you help me with something?"
Erin narrowed her brow, unsure what more stunts he was trying to pull.
"Is this related to your Skill?"
He nodded, slightly turning his face back.
"It's going to sound ridiculous but…just try something for me."
She shrugged.
"What do you want me to do?"
He grimaced for a bit, then told her:
"Grab your dagger and stab me."
She choked out her response.
"Excuse me?"
He couldn't blame her reaction, though this was truly the only way without having to risk another encounter with useless legs. If (Instinct) had triggered for solely danger, then it should override his nerves again from the unseen dagger.
Jace evened his tone, trying to sound as reasonable as possible.
"You're not actually stabbing me—well, you are, but not like you think. It's a Skill that allows me to sense danger to my body. If I'm not facing you, then it should tell me that something is about to attack me."
Erin snorted.
"I can't pretend to stab you, jumpy."
He persisted with his request.
"You're not stabbing me for real, just act like you are. Maybe enough where my Skill determines that dagger is about to drive into my back."
She laughed at his words, refusing to believe he was serious.
"You sound insane. How am I supposed to do that? Are you even sure about your Skill?"
But he said back, keeping his body perfectly still for his strange request.
"I'm sure. It's the only reason why I could dodge and predict the attacks from the Taurus. Without it, both of us would have been dead."
Silence had filled the air. The change in Jace's voice had proved he was telling the truth.
Erin pulled one of her daggers from its small sheath.
"Pretend to stab you…"
Jace gulped, also confused on how the Passive Skill would activate if the attacker was a friend. Would it just ignore the threat, because in his mind, Erin wasn't an enemy?
For another moment of silence, nothing happened. Until, she blurted out:
"Did that work?"
He shook his head to the absence of that spiking sensation in his brain.
"No, it didn't work."
And another moment of silence came as nothing happened. She blurted out again:
"How about that?"
He smacked his lips, shaking his head stubbornly and said back:
"You have to mean it, Erin, at least enough where you would actually stab me with the dagger. How about…you think of something horrible I've done? To anyone else—or, to you?"
She sighed, audibly annoyed by the charade.
"Alright, fine, I'll think of something."
The two Climbers sat in silence. The auburn boy stared blankly through the wide passage of the maze, glancing between the debris and rubble of stone. While behind him, a blonde girl was gripping onto her dagger with the intention of stabbing it into his back.
It couldn't have been more comfortable.
After a few minutes of silence, he asked her:
"Are…you doing it?"
She suddenly slapped his back.
"Shut up, jumpy, you're messing up my thinking."
He turned back to face nothing, trying to imagine what type of scenario could compel Erin to drive a dagger into his body. The two of them had never been enemies, or he would hope, so it was impossible to think she would harbor any hatred for him.
The only time he had found himself on her bad side was when he first refused her Relic in the Whispering Woods. The imprint of that slap still lingered whenever he thought about it.
Then amidst wandering in his memories, the sharp sensation spiked in his brain, overriding his nerves to immediately move from his spot.
But he couldn't, not with his legs completely crippled. Instead, he turned his body around with widened eyes.
Erin held the dagger a few inches away from his skin.
"Did it work?"
Jace cleared his throat nervously.
"Yeah—yeah, it worked."
She stood from the ground in a long sigh, sheathing the dagger behind her back and pulled a Port Crystal from one of her pockets.
"Come on, we're done with the expedition. No more Taurus to jump onto."
He admitted her change in demeanor had scared him. It was like she had switched into a totally different person. Even the way her eyes moved had looked foreign.
'What did she even think about? Or, actually, what could I have possibly done to her?'
(Instinct) had never lied, he knew that from his fight with the Taurus. Every time the Passive Skill triggered, he had successfully dodged its attacks without clear vision.
So that had meant the blonde girl had somehow imagined a reality where Jace deserved a stab in the back. He always thought he could trust her, but this had only rooted some doubt in their already complicated relationship.
'It was a test, none of it was serious. I asked her to do this. She really didn't mean to stab me, right?'
Jace exhaled, feeling the fleeting sensation leave his nerves. He hoped the Skill would never be activated again by her.
Erin looked at him, wondering why he was still on the ground, then raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot about that."
She slung his arm around her neck, using the drawstring of the bow to strap him in place. It was an awkward position but it was better than dragging his body through the ground again.
He felt a little uncomfortable being so close to her. Though, the faint giggle in her voice had implied she had returned to her former self. It was relieving to know that, to say the least.
Erin crushed the Port Crystal between them, as a familiar hum surrounded their bodies.
The Soul echoed into their ears.
[Soul detected.]
[Beginning descent.]
Lights shimmered through the transparent window of his Soul, asking him again to distribute his Soul Points.
Erin read the frustration written in his face.
"We're going to do this every time, aren't we? If you activate your Curse?"
Jace groaned, wishing his disfigured hand had the strength to rub his face.
"I'm apologizing in advance."
She snorted, tilting her head into his view as some strands of blonde hair fell over the sides of her face.
"It's not a problem, Jace. I've strengthened my Soul because of you. I should be thankful."
Her beautiful blue eyes and smile was the only thing he saw before the shimmering light fully flashed over them.
[Process successful.]
[ClimberJace has descended into the 11th floor, Sun Valley.]
***
He sprawled over his bed, completely exhausted and ashamed of their clumsy trip back to his luxurious inn. Even if he managed to move his legs above the steps of Sun Valley, he had to lean the majority of his weight onto Erin.
And judging by her face, she wasn't too fond of hauling his body around.
She let out a long sigh, brushing her loose blonde hair away from her eyes.
"Did you really have to live so far from the Portkeeper?"
Jace covered his face and groaned.
"I remember saying I apologized in advance."
Due to their sluggish pace, it had taken almost half an hour of moving through the Port Town while ignoring the long stares from its commoners. The strange sight of a beautifully kept blonde girl dragging along a battered and bloodied auburn boy couldn't have been their normal type of day.
He weakly gestured to her.
"Could you close the curtain, please? I really hate the sunshine of this damned Floor."
She snorted.
"You're sounding like Agnes, you know that?"
As she scanned the room again, she asked him:
"How did you afford this type of place anyways? This looks more expensive than just a foraging Climber. Did you perhaps rob some rich old man?"
He said back tiredly.
"Yes."
It wasn't clear if she believed him but knowing his mind had been weary, anything spewing out of his mouth was nonsense.
Erin sat beside him, crossing her legs on the premium cloth of his blanket.
"So, what now? Do I have to spoon feed you and carry you to your bath?"
Jace would never understand her fascination with treating him like a child. Though, he said back calmly despite his bitter mood.
"I can take care of myself. The Curse isn't anything chronic. My legs will just be mended by the Soul and I'll be good as new."
She reached over to the drawer on his bedside.
"I would bet something like this would fix you up nicely."
He already knew what was dangling in her fingers.
"You can leave me be, Erin, seriously. I can't ask for anything more than what you've done today. Me and my Soul would thank you."
She patted his arm, scrambling more of his thoughts, then walked to the door and turned her face back.
"Are you sure? I know a couple spots in the Port Town that could deliver you some food—"
He tiredly waved her away, staring blankly at his ceiling. Or rather, he was staring at the transparent window of his Soul.
Erin shrugged, closing the door behind her and left him in his own solitude.
Their expedition to Stoneveil was nothing short of productive. Jace had gotten exactly what he wanted. To strengthen his Soul and to test the true nature of (Curse of Unbridled). The experience was a great factor, but if he wanted to fight with the full capabilities of his Soul, then he had to use everything it gave him.
If it hadn't occurred to Erin yet, he had took her to the nineteenth Floor as a failsafe. He knew, somewhere within an encounter with those unholy monsters, there would be a desperate measure to use the power of his Curse.
And it absolutely worked to his utter satisfaction. Three Taurus had been slain, with two of them by the support of Erin's Skills, and the other with his own bare hands. He was responsible for each of the final blows, being rewarded with more experience from the Soul.
As he thought, the Soul echoed into his ears again.
[You have 4 Soul Points remaining.]
'I can't be the only Climber stalling their Soul Points this much.'
With that, he opened his Soul, trying to determine which stat would receive the points.
[STR: 7]
[END: 2]
[AGL: 6]
[INT: 0]
[WIS: 0]
He thought for a bit, wondering if four more Soul Points in his physicality would benefit him more. After all, the auburn boy had never specialized in spells or magic of the sort. His forte was always dealing in close-combat with a sword. Investing into any other stats seemed like a waste.
His eyes widened, realizing the missing additional Soul Points to his AGL.
Jace sat up from his bed in a panic, moving his right hand into view. It was wrapped tightly in tape to properly align his fingers back in place but there was clearly something missing.
The (Ring of Haste) was gone. Jace had lost the Relic during their encounter with the Taurus.
He refrained from throwing a tantrum while being somewhat paralyzed from the waist down, instead he slumped back onto the bed with a loud curse. He was more afraid of breaking the terrible news to Erin.
'I'll tell her somehow. Just…have to find out when, though.'
With a deep sigh, he decided his sudden tragedy should not cloud his allocation for the four Soul Points. He needed some type of clarity.
Although the idea of increasing his AGL and STR sounded tempting, it was ignorant to scoff away the other stats. There was an obvious imbalance in his Soul, no matter how much he tried to deny it.
With a final decision, he allocated them evenly.
[END: 2 > 4]
[INT: 0 > 2]
He narrowed his brow, wondering if he really was doing the right thing.
'That seems fair, right? I'm showing some love to the other parts of my Soul.'
After the intensified burning radiance in his veins passed, he settled back into his bed with a grimace. Four Soul Points being spent at once did not feel pleasant at all.
[Your Soul strengthens…]
Staring at the wooden ceiling with a blank face, he certainly didn't feel any smarter and neither did his skin turn into steel. Though, at least his health and mana had their anticipated share of some Soul Points. His body would at least sustain more damage and his Skills could be of use in longer encounters.
Jace felt content. In a single day, the auburn boy had achieved the unordinary of a Climber, increasing their Level four times in a single expedition. He wondered if anyone could ever replicate that.
And if he had to suffer the drawback of his Curse to feel that euphoria, he wouldn't hesitate to activate it again.