Soul Nexus: A Fantasy Tower Ascension LitRPG

I stood in awe at the colorful cacophony of cloth. Killa placed another bag of holding on the bed in the room I borrowed and started pulling article after article of clothing until she had the entire room draped in outfit after outfit. After she finished showcasing her collection, she danced in the center of the room.

“Go ahead and pick something out.” She waved at the clothes strewn about. “There’s no way I’m going to wear all this anytime soon. And this way, you’ll owe me an outfit later.” She winked at me.

I was too enamored with the selection to register what she said. Most of the clothes I saw looked like modern clothes, just made of different materials. It would probably be better to keep things practical and simple.

I picked out a simple shirt and pants. The pants didn’t have any pockets, and it felt like they were made of some kind of thick yet pliable black leather. It was soft to the touch too. The shirt was a soft burgundy silk that felt clingy, like it was full of static that wouldn’t discharge. I stripped out of my ruined clothes and found that my undergarments were still mostly in one piece, with the exception of my bra, whichhad a hole through it. They were also soaked in my blood and possibly a lot of wine too. Okay, they’re ruined.

Killa pointed to a small collection of undergarments. “Don’t worry about the size. I’ve got something for that.” She turned and faced the wall. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”

I picked the simplest bra and underwear in the collection and put them on quickly. The underwear was comfortable since it was stretchy. The bra wasn’t. It was tight, and it dug in everywhere. “Hey, Killa, anytime you wanna do the thing, that would be great.”

Killa smiled as she pulled a short piece of tapered, polished wood out of the bag and pointed it at my chest. I flinched and threw up my arms. Killa pouted. “If you want things to be comfortable, I’m going to need you to hold still.”

I blushed. “Sorry. The last time someone pointed something at me, they shot my heart.” And the time before that, they shot me in the head.

Killa glanced at my discarded bra. “I can see that.” She pointed the wand at me again. “But I’m here to help. I’ve invested too much in you to dissect you already.” Dissect? The slime laughed. “Kidding, I’m kidding. You seem like a nice kid, and Bark genuinely wants your help and to help you.”

Without warning, she poked the bra, and suddenly it grew. It became easier to breathe, and the pain was gone. I took a few moments to inspect how the bra adjusted and noticed that it fit perfectly now.

“Huh, magic is pretty convenient, isn’t it?” I asked absentmindedly as I grabbed the shirt.

Killa smiled. “Isn’t it? Besides, that outfit will look good on you.”

I put on the shirt, and it clung to me, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. I pulled the pants up, and they hugged my legs tightly. I took a few steps in them and felt no bunching or rubbing. Someone’s found a new favorite pair of pants. Never mind that they’re my only pair of pants or that they’re being gifted to me by a slime girl.

I turned to look for shoes but instead found something else that caught my eye. It was a charcoal gray trench coat-like jacket. It looked like it was made from overlapping scales. I slid my hand across the scales. The scales were extremely flexible, allowing the coat to move and drape like regular fabric even though I could feel the distinct texture of the scales. Across the coat were a dozen pockets, each with a button closure.

I noticed across the front was also a row of hoop-style buttons that would overlap, giving me the option to close the coat up. There was also a belt that would cinch my waist. Is this thing for fashion or function? I put it on, and it fit like it was made for me.

“Ooh, good choice,” Killa trilled. “I’ve never liked jackets. But I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of that one. On you, that piece looks perfect. It’s like you were destined to meet us and get that jacket.”

I did a little twirl. “You think so? I’ve never worn anything like it, but it feels so right.” There was a final detail I noticed as I wore it. And it has a hood too!

Killa handed me a pair of knee-high boots and cotton socks. The socks were simple enough and felt comfortable. The boots were sleek black leather with small overlapped metal plates on the top and sides of them and a barely noticeable heel. Which was good since I had never worn heels before. The boots fit snugly around my calves, and I couldn’t help but smile as I pranced around the room for a few trial steps.

I looked down. I really look like I belong in a fantasy world now. Good thing I’m in one. Wait, what if what happened to my old clothes happens to these? “It would be nice if these wouldn’t get destroyed. I kind of like them.”

“It’s a good thing they have an auto repair enchantment, then.” Killa gave me a wink. “Soak them in water for about an hour, and they’ll be good as new.”

I pinched the sleeve of my coat. “Huh. Magic’s pretty cool.”

Killa started picking up the rest of the clothes I didn’t pick. “You didn’t have magic where you’re from, didn’t you? It’s like you’re seeing magic for the first time.”

I guess I should tell her how I got here then. My final memories on earth played through my mind. Every word the man said stabbed into my heart, now that I know what they mean. I cleared a spot on the bed and sat down. “Killa, did you die to get here?”

The slime woman paused and turned her head towards me. “No. Why would you ask that?”

I folded my hands in front of me. “Because I did. It’s why I’m here, even at all.” My throat felt tighter as my heart started beating faster.

Killa threw the clothes in her hands to the side and grabbed my hands. “That’s terrible. I know it’s none of my business, and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but why are you here?”

I pulled my hands out of hers and looked away at the ground. “Your wish…” My vision started getting blurry.

Killa sat down next to me. “It was a stupid thing for me to say. Most people don’t share what their wish is, but I was just that jealous of you at that moment. And I know my wish is selfish, but it really is what I want.”

“And I think that’s a perfect wish.” The first few tears escaped my eyes. “After I heard you say it, I thought at first it was a strange wish. But the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that all my life, I’ve tasted and smelled the world around me. I’ve taken it for granted.” I turned and gave the slime girl a smile, even as the tears started falling in full force. “You see a life others enjoy and you want to enjoy that too. I’m the same. I just want to live. That is my wish, to live.”

Like a dam breaking, my emotions flooded through me when I saw the look of horror in Killa’s eyes. I grabbed the slime woman and hugged her. My tears poured out as I wailed. Killa’s arms wrapped around me, and she gently rubbed my back.

“I died, and I was told I shouldn’t exist, that I’m an artificial soul.” I hugged Killa tighter. Her body felt like I was hugging a giant water balloon that wouldn’t pop. “Someone wants me to not just die but cease to exist. I don’t get a say. My only crime is existing. Now I have these nanites that both saved my life and nearly killed me at the same time. And now I’m in an insane world trying to learn who created me just so I can bargain for my right to exist. Why me?”

I don’t know how much of what I said was comprehensible through my crying and sobbing, but I needed to get the words out. Maybe it was finally time to let myself feel everything that had happened, and somehow, I felt safe enough with Killa to let it out. But as I kept crying, I could feel the weight on my shoulders lessening. After I shed every tear I could, I felt exhausted. Better, but exhausted.

“Do you feel better?” Killa whispered after we sat silently for several minutes.

I let her go and sat up, wiping my face on my sleeve. “Yeah. Sorry for just spilling everything on you like that.” I looked down at her dress and saw that it was soaked. “And sorry for that.”

Killa smiled as she looked down at her tear-soaked dress. “Oh, this? This is nothing.” I watched as the dress was enveloped by her body and pushed back out perfectly clean. “See?”

I laughed. “Okay, that’s just not fair.”

Killa placed a hand on my leg and leaned towards me. “Not nearly as unfair as what you just told me. I won’t even begin to lie to you and say that I understood even half of what you just said. I can’t relate. I don’t think I can even try.” I can’t blame her. Dying is kind of a hard experience to relate to. “But what I can do is help you fulfill your wish. You deserve to live. Nobody should be told their existence is a crime.”

If I had had any more tears, I would have cried again. Instead, I wiped my face again. “Then, as friends, we’ll help each other. You to live the life you want, and me to live.”

She wiped her hand on my sleeve, where I had wiped my snot. It was clean again. Right, she can eat anything, and anything can eat her. She stood up and went back to cleaning up the clothes.

“Are you good, or do you need some more time to put yourself together?” Killa paused to watch me closely.

I looked at the closed door. “How much do you think Bark heard?”

“All of it,” Killa said without hesitating. I hung my head. “You were quite loud. Don’t worry. He won’t ask you to talk about it. Emotions make him uncomfortable. He does have a soft heart, even if he’s not good at showing it.”

I stood up and helped Killa put the clothes away. “Thanks for the clothes and for being a shoulder to cry on.”

“No problem.” She placed all the clothes into the bag of holding. “I’m sure Gary will have more answers for you. He knows a lot of things that we don’t, but he can only tell us if we ask the right questions. The problem is we don’t always know the questions to ask.”

I headed to the door. “Who is this Gary you two keep mentioning? And why do you sound so cryptic when you talk about him?”

Killa placed the bag of holding in a backpack and rocked her head from side to side. “It’s complicated. It’ll be easier when you see him. That’ll answer a few questions, yet give you lots more.”

“That’s unnerving,” I said as I opened the door.

Killa chuckled. “You’ll get used to him—” there was an uncomfortable pause from her, “—probably.”

We walked out of the room and found Bark twiddling all of his thumbs as he leaned against a wall. He glanced at me with a nervous twitch on his cheek.

“You, uh, gonna be okay?” His voice was as unsteady as his eyes. They kept darting everywhere in the room but at me.

I glanced at Killa as she walked by, giving me a knowing grin. Then I looked at the four-armed man, who squirmed in the silence. “Honestly, I hope so. It’s just been a rough couple of days.”

Bark stood up and stared at the door. “That’s fair, I guess.” He walked far stiffer and faster than he probably needed to and grabbed the doorway. “I know you’ve got a lot going on, but this could give you some answers you need. So, will you try to bear with us, for now?”

“I will,” I said as I followed after him.