Soul Nexus: A Fantasy Tower Ascension LitRPG

The room hummed with the chatter of the alien diners, each species enjoying their meal, conversation, and maybe even an occasional glance at me. I took the drink and eyed it. It reeked of alcohol. My vision sharpened, and I could feel what felt like a dial in the back of my eyes. I “turned” it, and everything lurched forward as it felt like I was closer to the cup. But I didn’t move. So, this is what it means by enhance.

So I pushed it further. Everything seemed larger the more I enhanced. Everything enhanced eight times, then it felt like I reached my limit. The drink had thousands of small particles floating around in it.

I placed the cup down. “What’s in this?” My vision returned to normal when I looked back at Igzad.

The reptilian humanoid leaned even more forward. “Your eyes… what did they just do? It’s like they moved, yet didn’t” He sat back down. “That’s the “good stuff.” Alcohol made from one of the mushrooms they grow here. It’s pretty strong compared to ale and mead. The taste is pretty bad, but you’re not drinking it for the flavor.”

I took a sip of the “good stuff” and promptly spat it out on the ground. Gagging, I put the cup down and pushed it away. “Disgusting. How can you drink that?”

Igzad laughed. “That’s everyone’s first reaction. But give it a week, two tops, and you’ll be begging to drown yourself in that. If the bav’varst don’t get you first.”

“Bavarst?” I took another bite of the bland slime.

He shook his head. “Bav’varst. There’s two v’s. If you haven’t seen them, consider yourself lucky. Think small fur balls of teeth and claws. They’re everywhere, and they’ll eat everything.”

“That sounds terrifying,” I said absentmindedly as I popped yet more food in my mouth. “But what level are they? How strong?”

Igzad leaned back and snorted. “Most of what people can guess is that they’re roughly twenty or so. Just know that the bigger they are, the higher level. They start roughly knee high and go up from there.” He shook his head. “The problem isn’t when you see one or two; it’s that it’s never just one or two. They hunt in packs of about a dozen. They’re pretty quick, and you’ll be overwhelmed pretty quickly.”

“So, I need a ranged weapon.” I looked down and saw that I had eaten half of the ten kilograms of slime. Yeah, that’s still a bit surreal. Ten or so pounds, and I’m still eating like I’ve not eaten anything. The nanites buzzed inside me, breaking down the food.

“You really are going to eat that entire thing.” The scaled man chuckled and slightly shook his head. “But yeah, a ranged weapon will do wonders. I’m not one to judge, but that weapon strapped to your arm like that is odd, even from all of what I’ve seen.”

Wait until you see what I’ll be able to do with it in the future. Or not, since I’m going to try to stick around for very long. “But, dungeons, are there any? And since you brought it up, where can I get a gun?”

Igzad was taking another drink, only to stop and nearly choke on it. He sprayed the table and slammed his hand on the table. He then started coughing while sputtering. “You... you want a gun? Lady, I don’t know much about you, and you seem to avoid telling me about you, but you are either stupid rich or just plain stupid.” He composed himself after wiping his face. “First off, yes, there are dungeons, but they’re breeding grounds for bav’varsts. So everyone pretty much avoids them unless they have a death wish. And if you want a gun, then you best head to the top.”

“The top?” I pointed up. “As in the top of this tower city?”

“Yeah.” Igzad stood up and took one last drink. His steps seemed a bit less coordinated than before. “Oh, finally.” He swayed slightly. “Well, have fun killing yourself. You were interesting, but I’m done wasting my time.” Was he looking for an ally? My shoulders slumped as he headed for the door, in a less than straight path. “Keep the bottle.”

He nearly ran into one of the slime waiters and gave them shards, likely to pay for the drink. He’s drunk. I looked at the bottle and took a whiff. Yeah, still isn’t any better.

I waved towards the slime waiter gliding towards me. “Can you get me some water or something that’s not alcoholic?”

Wordlessly, the purple slime extended a tendril towards the bar and pulled out a glass decanter full of clear water. It dropped it next to me and didn’t say or do anything else.

“How much?” I asked. The slime didn’t answer. It just formed a tendril into a zero. Free? Okay.

I magnified my vision on the water, looking for impurities, and found that it was perfect. What was he so worried about? Maybe he was just looking for an excuse to get drunk. I drank the water and let the cool, refreshing feeling slide down my throat. It wasn’t long before only a quarter of the bottle was left. I chuckled. I guess I was thirstier than I thought.

I finished my meal in peace, thankfully. I looked down at the empty spot where the twenty-two pounds of slime were. My diet is expensive. The yellow slime seemed to avoid coming near me again. And when I stood up to leave, it felt like it moved farther away from me. But I left the little diner with three full energy bars.

I looked up and sighed. Now I need to figure out how to reach the top.

It took a while, as the tower felt more like a labyrinth than a town. I lost count of how many times I got turned around or found that I was going in circles. But as I kept going up, things started heating up, and I felt a breeze flowing through. I switched back and forth to my thermal vision regularly. I wasn’t accustomed to walking around in the colorful spectrum of infrared, but I could use it to see the hottest air when I came to intersections and followed that.

It worked as I steadily climbed upwards until things started getting far hotter than the desert. I stopped seeing anyone a while ago. There were fewer intersections the higher I climbed, and eventually I could hear a dull roar echoing around me. Eventually, the heat left me sweating and soaking my clothes, and I found myself standing in what felt like a medieval armory full of armor of different shapes and sizes made for various species, most of which were definitely not humanoid. There was a rhythmic clanging mixed in with the roaring that had only gotten louder since I entered the room. I could smell something burning, which led me to believe that behind the one open door was the forge that this person worked in.

I cupped my hands over my mouth and asked, “Hello?” Everything grew quieter. “Hello?” I repeated.

The temperature lowered drastically, but it was still stifling hot. Into the room walked a squat humanoid with grayish skin and no hair anywhere. His body glistened with sweat as he wore thick leather pants and a leather apron. His arms looked to be as thick as my head, and his legs were thicker than that. His heavy boots resounded as he stepped up to the counter. He reached below the counter, and the door behind him slammed shut.

The air temperature dropped ten degrees instantly. “Hello.” This guy sounds like he’s straight out of Spain. I’ve heard several Spanish accents, but I never thought I’d hear one outside of Earth. “Tell me, beautiful, what can I do for you?” He beamed a bright, toothy smile. His teeth were perfectly straight and white. I don’t know why I’m so surprised by that.

“Uh…”—I shook my head—“right, I need a gun. I was told to come here.”

The short man held up a finger. “Ah, but before business, I believe it is more polite to exchange introductions, no?” He placed his hand on his chest and gave a slight bow. “Adbeck Hellstone, at your service. Allow me to fulfill all your wildest dreams of weaponry and armor. Even among dark dwarves, I’m something of a master.”

This guy likes to toot his own horn, doesn’t he? I put on a stiff smile. “Rina, nice to meet you.”

“No, the pleasure is all mine.” He walked around the counter to a cabinet. “You have an interesting choice in protection. Would you not prefer to finish it? Arm protection is important, but isn’t your chest just as important, and sometimes more?” He turned and raised his eyebrows as he gave me yet another smile.

“Just a gun for now.” I reigned in my annoyance. Just how pushy can one salesman be? “Can you keep it small, something I can use with one hand?”

Adbeck frowned slightly, then shrugged. “As you wish. But you can’t blame me for trying to develop a repeat customer.”

The dwarf poked his finger into a hole above the handle. He twisted his hand like his finger was the key. After he opened it up, I saw the entire inside lined with drawers. He pulled one out and carried it over to me.

He propped open the top and waved his hand. “Go on, beautiful; pick anyone that catches your fancy.”

I grabbed one. It was sleek metal, similar to the gun the creature hunting me used to kill me for the first time. Is this thing any good? Will it be strong enough to kill that thing when I see it again?

The dwarf closed the lid. “Good choice. That matter propeller is a good, reliable one.”

I held the weapon up. There was a small button on the side, and I pushed it. A small cartridge fell out of the bottom, and I caught it. It was full of small metal pellets. “Do you mind if I test it?”

Adbeck looked at me, confused. “Why not? Just don’t break anything unless you’re gonna pay for it.”

I held the gun to my palm, and before the dwarf could react, I fired. There was a resounding clang as the metal pellet slammed into my metal skin. I flinched from the impact, and my entire arm tingled, but not from the nanites. It also only took an almost imperceptible blip from my mana.

Adbeck snatched the gun away from me. “What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?”

“I’m fine. See?” I held up my palm. “It takes quite a bit to hurt me, at least on my arms. Besides, I went insane a long time ago.”

The dwarf placed the other guns on the ground and grabbed my hand. He mumbled something as he fondled my hand. He ran his thick fingers over the seams while poking and prodding. I pulled my hand back as I took a step back.

“My apologies,” the dark dwarf said despondently. “What is that armor made of? Who made it?”

I rubbed my hand. “It’s not actually armor.” Adbeck arched an eyebrow. “Believe it or not, it’s my real skin. Just for my arms though.” For now.

Adbeck rubbed his chin. “Impressive. Now I’m interested in how durable it is.” He picked up the box of guns. “But it seems that these pea shooters aren’t going to be up to the task. Let me get you a little something with a bit more kick.”

He returned the guns and pulled out another box. The guns he showed me were larger, yet they seemed like they were still handguns.

“Well, girl, want to give these a shot?” He handed me the first one. “Don’t worry, they’re all loaded.”

I systematically tried each weapon. After a dozen weapons and a dozen shots, my mana was half spent, but my hand had never once been penetrated. I will admit, these guns did pack more of a punch, but they’re still not enough.

“I need something bigger.” I placed the last gun that shot a literal jet of flames. It did the closest thing I would consider damage. It didn’t melt the metal, but it did burn everything inside. But that’s probably just because it works better against me. Note to self: fire still hurts.

The dwarf scratched his chin. “Your arms, girl, they’re something special. That metal, it’s flexible and durable—a rare combination. How much toughness do you have?”

“One thirty.” I held up an arm. “But, these are equivalent to two hundred and sixty.”

Adbeck whistled. “Oh, my.” He returned the case of guns. “But I’ve got something for you—something I never thought I’d find the right person to handle it.” I watched the dwarf walk back to the counter, open the door, and then into his forge. The door closed behind him.

A massive bang resounded from beyond the heavy door. I flinched as I looked around the room. Is he alright? Adbeck returned shortly afterwards, a black box in his hands. He placed it on the counter and used his finger as a key to open it with a heavy click.

Adbeck handed me the gun. The weight surprised me. The obsidian-like metal was glossy and covered in engravings of various shapes that meant nothing to me. I balanced it between my hands. It’s heavier than I would like, but a few levels will fix that.

“That, girl, is my masterpiece.” Adbeck took the weapon back. “You can load it with anything, and I do mean anything.”

With a flourish, he popped out the six chambers and then pulled a piece of leather out of a pocket. The dwarf stuffed it into a chamber and turned it before doing the same with a piece of coal, a chunk of iron, some wood shavings, a cotton ball, and even his own spit.

He closed the gun and held it up. “No matter what you fill it with, it’ll have the same punching power.”

I held out my hand. “Alright, show me.”

He spun it to the chamber he filled with his spit. The dwarf slowly aimed the barrel at my hand. I braced myself for the inevitable pain.

A thunderous crack filled the forge as the gun discharged, and the projectile struck my hand, puncturing a hole clean through. A moment of disbelief hung in the air before pain surged through me, and crimson blood flowed from the hole. The sharp pain forced me to bend over and cradle my hand. Okay, yeah. That’s the one. That hurt.

The nanites buzzed, and the tingling started immediately. The pain subsided as the muscle and bone knitted together, leaving me with only a throbbing reminder. Then Adbeck’s eyes bulged out of their sockets as the punctured metal shifted and filled the hole.

“The metal moved? What kind of magic is this?” His eyes never left my hand.

I shook my hand to dispel the itching feeling of the nanites. “It’s not magic; it’s something else.” My voice trailed off. “It’s something unique to me. You won’t find it anywhere else. And I can’t give it to anyone else.”

With a thoughtful nod, the dwarf unloaded all but one piece of ammunition from the revolver. Each piece of material had become a small metal pellet. He handed the gun loaded with the single remaining projectile to me.

“Now, girl, give it a shot. Shoot that pail against the wall there.” He gestured towards a pail on the far side of the room. “Let’s see how it feels in your hand. I’m not about to sell you something you can’t handle.”

I eyed him suspiciously. The other guns had no recoil. This one will take some getting used to, with only six shots before reloading. I used both hands to steady the weapon as I pulled the trigger. There wasn’t really a kick upwards, but I could feel it push into me. The pail didn’t stand a chance, and a hole punctured through the wall behind it. The drain on my mana also took me by surprise. A quarter of my mana disappeared instantly.

I shuddered at the substantial mana drain. Adbeck smiled and clapped his hands. “That’s a good sign. Now, shall we discuss price?”

Right, salesman. “How much are we talking?”

The dwarf tapped his fingertips together and grinned even wider. “For my masterpiece? I couldn’t let it go for anything less than seventy-five thousand.”

I pursed my lips. That’s a lot more than I was expecting. Nineteen thousand isn’t going to cut it. “That’s a bit more than I can afford right now. Is there anything else we can agree on?”

There was a slight twitch in his eye. “Unless you’re going to give me something really nice, you best hand that gun over this instant.” All I’ve got is Killa’s bag, and I doubt that it’ll cover that kind of cost. “Or else I’ll have to take it out of your skin.”

“Wait, skin!” I pointed at the dwarf, who was very clearly confused. “One second.” Orange, can the metal on my arms be smelted down?

If the host were to find a way to remove the skin, yes.

I analyzed my arm blade augment.

Arm blade (right):

The host’s right forearm bones have been fused with the addition of another bone grown out to act as a natural weapon. Since the host has the epidermal plating (arms) level 1 augment, the bone is coated in the same metal as their arm. This alters the blade’s offensive capabilities and causes it to scale with epidermal plating’s toughness rather than the host’s power.

Stat bonus: + 7 Power.

“How much metal from my arms would you trade for the gun?” There was a twinkle in his eye. I raised my arm blade. “This has a bone through it, but you could easily extract it. If we can break it off, I can grow it back.” Orange, will that hurt?

Absolutely.

The dwarf crossed his arms and cupped his chin. “Maybe if you could give me four times that amount, we’ll be in business.”

I checked my energy levels. Two and two-thirds might not be enough. “If I could get some food, then I’ll be able to do it. Do you have something that’ll be able to do it?”

Adbeck laughed. “Girl, you truly surrendered your sanity. I’ve never heard of anything like this in all my life. But I’ve got a few meal potions, if that’ll be enough for you. But yeah, I’ve got something that’ll snap that blade off.” He extended a hand. “I’ll need a fifth piece if you want the potion. Are you certain you want to do that?”

“Yeah.” I shook his hand. A little pain for a very powerful item. Am I turning into a masochist? No, this isn’t something I enjoy. I’m just taking advantage of everything I have at my disposal.

The dwarf shrugged. “Follow me, girl. I hope you don’t panic halfway through.” He headed towards the forge but pulled out a green potion. “Here, did you need some water to thin it out?”

I grabbed it. “Nope.” I chugged the potion.

The dwarf laughed as he hung his head. “Girl, you are making me question my sanity.”

If I thought the storefront was hot, the forge made that feel like a cool winter breeze. My clothes were beyond soaked, and I would’ve left a trail of sweat overflowing from my boots if it hadn’t instantly evaporated the moment it was exposed to the air. There were shelves and racks full of tools I had no idea existed, needed to exist, or should exist. Is he going to torture me? This looks like a torturer’s chamber, not a blacksmith’s. Although, I don’t actually know what a smith should look like.

A trio of anvils awaited us in the center of the room. One was bright red, another a dull gray, and the third was pitch black. As we walked, my HUD kept flashing a warning about excessive heat.

“So, girl, how did you just drink an entire meal potion without flinching? And why so much food? That was five times more than a normal person should eat.” Adbeck stopped by the red anvil.

I looked up and saw an equally red cylinder ready to drop down like a press upon the anvil. “Well, you can’t create something from nothing. And my regeneration rebuilds me. The more it has to create, the more calories I need.”

Adbeck scratched his chin. “Understandable, but it sounds mighty expensive.”

Tell me about it.

“But it looks like you’ve found ways to use it to be more lucrative for you.” He gave me a wink. Then he pushed the anvil towards me as he looked upwards at the press. He shoved the anvil a little again before looking back at me. “Alright, that should do it. Now, are you sure this is okay with you?”

I nodded. “This’ll hurt, I know. But I need that weapon.”

Adbeck bit his lip as he pushed down and made a grove through the center of the anvil. “Just place your arm in the grove when you’re ready, girl.” He gave me another worried look. “Are you wanting something to bite down on? I can get you a leather strap.”

I waved my hand. “No thanks. Now let’s get this over before I come to my senses.”

I placed my arm in the grove, and my blade extended off the edge. He’s really going to break it off. This is the most insane thing I’ve ever done. Adbeck stood by a pedal that he then stomped on. The cylinder shot down and snapped my arm blade.

There was a moment of apprehension as I saw the metal and exposed bone bouncing on the floor. Then the pain hit. I arched my back and wailed as I pulled my arm back to me. Orange, fix it. Fix it now! Tears attempted to flow, but they didn’t survive the heat.

The pain drowned out the usual tingling of the nanites working. Faster than I expected, the bone grew back out, and the metal formed around it. One down, four to go. I put my arm back on the anvil and nodded.

The dwarf nodded and stomped on the pedal again. The same thing happened. However, the pain escalated. I doubled over while cradling my arm. The roar of the furnace drowned out my whimpering and evaporated my tears.

The third time hurt even more. Then the fourth time left me writhing on the ground. My arm was on fire, and even after I finished regenerating, it still burned. My energy was sitting at a little more than one and a quarter bars.

I pulled myself up to the anvil and placed my arm in the grove for the last time. Adbeck shook his head.

“Do it.” I was surprised he heard my words. With all the screaming, I expected my throat to be more raw than it was. But maybe the nanites were healing that too. Hurray for me. “That was the deal. Five times, and I get the gun. Now finish it.”

The dwarf sighed as he turned his head and stomped on the pedal one last time. Mercilessly, the press broke off a fifth piece, and I collapsed to the ground. Darkness swallowed my vision as the pain became too much.