Soul Nexus: A Fantasy Tower Ascension LitRPG

I told my entire story. Shadara listened in perfect silence with her animated tail and ears. There was something so relieving about talking to her. Everything spilled out of me almost too easily. I wanted, no, needed her to know my whole story. I, of course, left out all the details about the nanites and my unique system. No more repeats.

Her eyes barely blinked as she let me go on and on. It was tricky to tell her why Bark did what he did, but when I told her I wouldn’t go into any details, because I was afraid she would do the same, she only nodded. She cried when I told her what happened to Killa. She wasn’t the only one. The memory still hurt. I’ve heard the saying that time heals all wounds. But this scar feels too deep to ever forget.

After I was done, Shadara sat next to me, wiping her face and giving me a smile. “You really are a mess, aren’t you?”

I chuckled. “Somehow that doesn’t feel like a satisfyingly succinct way of putting that.”

She nodded. “You’re right, but I’m still trying to put it all together. I mean, you died.” She held her hands out to me. “Do you need a hug or something? Although, I can, without a doubt, say you need a friend.”

“What part of a creature is hunting me relentlessly and will kill anyone who gets in the way did you miss?” I stared at the floor in front of me. “After what happened with Killa and Bark, I don’t want to feel that again. Things were so much simpler when I was by myself.”

“And you were lonely as can be.” She placed her furry hand on my shoulder. “How can you not see that, subconsciously, you want a friend? If you truly wanted to be alone, you would’ve knocked me out and walked away once we were in this room together. Once you calmed down, that is.”

I wrung my metal hands together. “I’m afraid of losing someone close to me, again.”

She pulled me close and hugged me. “And that’s a perfectly normal feeling. After all, you’re not a monster.” A smile spread across my face. “Sometimes it’s hard to see it when so much bad is happening around you, but you don’t have to be alone.”

“Why are you so nice?” I hugged her back.

Shadara ran her fingers through my hair. “I took a chance on you, and it paid off. I can see you’re a good person. Now that you’ve shared your story with me, it’s hard not to see a scared little human who’s lost.” She placed a hand on my chin and turned my head, so I looked into her feline eyes. “Honestly, we’re all a little lost. You’ve placed a lot of trust in me, so I can’t do anything less than be a good friend. You took a blow for me. And even though you heal so quickly, it still means something to me. It would’ve been easier to not do anything.”

She pushed me back. “But as your friend, it’s my duty to tell you, you stink,” she said with a giggle while waving her hand in front of her nose. “I mean it. You need a bath. Do your clothes fix themselves with water?”

I couldn’t help but giggle with her. “Yeah, they do.” I looked down. “Wow, you aren’t kidding.”

“Imagine what it’s like for someone who can smell a hundred times better than a human." Shadara stood up and offered me a hand. "So, what do you say, friends?”

I swallowed and grabbed her hand. “Yeah, friends.” She smiled and helped me to my feet. “Can you really smell that much better?”

She wrapped her arm around me and led me to the door. “As a beast woman, yeah.” She wiggled her ears. “I can hear so much better too. And I can see in the dark better too.”

I shook my head. “Not compared to me.” The panther woman studied my eyes closely as she held the door open. “I can see in total darkness. It’s not in color, but the outlines are good enough.”

She smirked. “Fine. You win that round, but two out of three still means I have the better senses.”

I wrapped my arms around her and walked with her. For now. I can already guess that my other senses can be upgraded. You don’t need to show me Orange.

Shadara took me to another room nearby. Inside was a stone basin made of a different rock than whatever this place was made of. It was black, with streaks of white running throughout it. A metal pipe with a nob hung over it, and there were several small stone counters.

“Alright, you can bathe here.” Shadara closed the door and slid a stone to block the door with her foot. “And if you’re alright, I kind of need one too. All this dirt in my fur is really starting to itch.”

The panther beast woman removed her clothes and stood next to the basin. She reached up to the pipe and turned a small lever. Water poured out and quickly filled the rock tub. She turned to me and put her hands on her hips as she cocked them to the side.

She frowned. “Why haven’t you removed your clothes yet?”

I turned and felt myself blushing. I know there are some cultures on Earth where communal bathing was more accepted. It’s just that I wasn’t part of one of those.

“Bashful, that’s cute.” Shadara strutted over to me. “Come on, it’s not a big deal. Everyone’s born naked.” Her voice deflated. “Fine. I’ll take care of your clothes while you clean yourself up. Then afterwards, I’ll take a bath and you can watch my stuff.”

I slowly raised a hand to remove my jacket. “Sorry. We’ve just become friends and, well…”

“Don’t worry about it.” She walked over and put her clothes back on. “I’ll turn away and give you some privacy. Just let me know when you’re in the tub so I can get your clothes soaking. How long will they take?”

My hands trembled as I removed my shirt and boots. “I was told an hour.”

“I guess then I’ll need to infuse it with a bit of mana to speed it up.” Shadara kept facing the door and waved her hand.

I removed the last of my clothes. “You can do that? You can use magic too?”

“Yeah, mana is easily manipulated,” Shadara answered. “Everyone is capable of magic—once they figure out their particular feel for it.”

I climbed into the water and ducked as low as I could. “Um, I’m in.”

The beast woman turned and scooped up my clothes in her arms. She then walked to one of the counters, placed them on it, and pulled out a large bottle of water from inside. “Why’d you ask? Can’t you use magic?” She then emptied the bottle of water onto my clothes.

I looked at my hair, undid the braid, and let it flow down to just past my butt. “No. Magic was never a thing in my world. Or, well, there was, but it was all sleight of hand and stuff. If you can use magic, why haven’t I seen you do any?”

The first thing that needs to go is all this hair. I pulled it in front of me and, with my arm blade, cut it down so that it reached my shoulder blades. That’s handy. It's not pretty or straight, but it will do for now. The color’s going to take some getting used to. White hair, and I’m not even thirty yet.

“That’s because my magic is not nearly as flashy as Igzad’s.” Shadara turned and sat on the counter, all while still watching the door. “His elemental mastery is quite impressive and rare. My personal flavor is physical enhancement. For short bursts, I can greatly increase my strength, speed, or durability. With a bit more oomph, I can enhance the same for someone I touch.”

“If you can do that, why haven’t you left for the next floor?” I saw the small bar of soap next to me and began lathering up.

She chuckled. “Because I’m still not fast enough or strong enough. I can only enhance in proportion to one’s base attribute. The best I’ve been able to guess is that I can double a stat for roughly ten to fifteen seconds, depending on how much mana I use.” She lifted her hand from the pile of my clothes. “If I had your speed, maybe, but I focused pretty heavily on strength. And there’s something holding the door down, like a latch that I can’t break. If I could, I don’t know, stop the door from closing completely, even just a little, I should be able to lift it open and get through.”

Double my speed? “Wait, maybe together, we can do that.” I quickly spent all my stats on quickness.

Name: Rina Lone

Level: 21 Augments:

Agility: 200 Cellular Regeneration

Arcane: 150 Synthetic eyes: lvl. 2

Power: 65 HUD

Quickness: 365 Epidermal plating (arms) lvl. 1

Resilience: 125 Epidermal plating (hands) lvl. 1

Toughness: 145 Arm blade (right)

Unassigned Points: 0

Shards: 87257

I continued to rinse myself off as I worked through the math of that challenge to reach the next floor. I needed to go five hundred feet, but I could only manage a hundred and fifty before it closed. That was at two hundred and sixty quickness. So, at a minimum, I need roughly eight hundred and seventy. If she doubles me now, I’m still short.

“How fast are you?” Shadara sounded skeptical.

I shook my head. “Sorry, but I’m still not fast enough either. I need about four hundred and forty quickness, if stats are based on a linear scale, with your speed-enhancing magic.”

Her tail drooped off the edge of the counter. “That’s not good. But at least we have a goal now. If we can hit a dungeon, we’ll more than get enough stats for you to get another level or two, maybe three.” She pushed herself off. “If there’s one thing this place doesn’t lack, it’s monsters to kill.”

I finished washing up and stood to get out of the tub. The water was full of dirt, blood, and soap. Wait, I have shards—a bunch of shards. Maybe I can enhance my legs to speed myself up. Orange?

Synthetic muscle level 1 (legs) upgrade available:

Cost: 30,070 shards.

Synthetic tendons level 1 (legs) upgrade available:

Cost: 26,100 shards.

Purchase?

Yes No

I sat back down in the water. Wait, isn’t that cheaper than it was before? Why?

As the host absorbs power, our efficiency increases when the host reaches certain thresholds. It requires fewer soul shards to manipulate the host’s body. Also, the host’s cellular regeneration augmentation efficiency is improved. Any augments that do not have upgradable levels will increase with the power of the host’s nanites.

Wow. I froze at the information it gave me. So every, what, twenty levels, things will get cheaper?

We can only notify the host when they are reached. But we theorize that these thresholds will be spread further apart each time one is reached.

I took a quick glance at Shadara. She had a towel in her hands. This is going to freak her out. But maybe I should listen to Adbeck. Maybe not just have armor for my arms, but the rest of me too. How much?

Epidermal plating (legs) Level 1 upgrade available:

Cost: 20,800 shards per leg.

Epidermal plating (torso) Level 1 upgrade available:

Cost: 46,125 shards.

Epidermal plating (head) Level 1 upgrade available:

Cost: 18,450 shards.

Purchase?

Yes No

Alright, still a lot. I guess, for now, I’ll go with the muscles and tendons for my legs. Getting out of this hellhole should be my top priority. And that challenge should keep that thing hunting me off for more than a few days, since the challenge for the second floor was not really a challenge.

I watched as my shard total dropped by fifty-six thousand one hundred and seventy. Shadara tilted her head as I gripped the edge of the tub. “Sorry, this will only take a minute.” My voice straining. The muscles in my legs were cramping up.

As I leaned back in the water, a strange sensation prickled under my skin. It began as a thousand minuscule pinpricks. At first, it felt more uncomfortable rather than outright pain, but it didn’t stay that way.

That’s when the spasms started. My legs kicked uncontrollably and violently. Water splashed all around me, and I hooked my arm around the edge of the tub as I clenched my jaw. A pained groan slipped through my throat as Shadara dropped the towel and slid next to the tub.

“What’s happening? What’s happening to you?” The panther woman’s voice trembled as she looked up and down my body.

A jolt of searing agony lanced through my legs, underneath my muscles. My legs went ridged and burned even hotter. I clenched my teeth together, stifling the scream that threatened to burst from me.

Sweat poured from my forehead. “It’s fine. I’m doing this on—on purpose.”

Her eyes locked on my legs. “Why? What magic are you performing? You’re not a transmuter, are you?”

The pain surged and peaked. I couldn’t hold back the scream, but I did manage to curb it into a groan as my legs relaxed. Okay, that’s the worst of it. Or so I thought.

Synthetic muscle level 1 (legs) upgrade requires secondary input. Which specialization would the host decide? Speed? Strength? Durability? Flexibility? Control? Balanced?

Speed.

Every fiber in my legs exploded in an inferno of pain. They felt like they were being torn apart. We both watched in horror as the muscle under my skin shifted and deflated.

Shadara pointed at my legs. “That is not normal. Your legs should not do that. What is happening?” The panther woman started hyperventilating.

She pulled me out of the water and set me on a counter. My legs flopped around uselessly. They looked disgustingly emaciated. The skin drooped and clung to the bones as a horrible weakness threatened to knock me out.

“What’s wrong?” The beast woman’s hands hovered over my legs like she was afraid to touch them. “Tell me what to do. Why are you doing this to yourself?”

I held up an arm. “An upgrade.” My voice was as weak as my legs.

Suddenly, I could feel the muscles writhing beneath my skin. The skin starting from my hips inflated. There was an intense twisting sensation under my skin, as I could feel the muscles being rebuilt. With each passing moment, the pain pulsed in waves, spreading through my legs and traveling down to where the new muscles had continued to grow.

My breath came in ragged gasps as I fought to maintain consciousness.

“R-Rina, what are you?” Shadara’s voice trembled, her ears flattened against her head.

The twisting continued as the muscles filled out around my knees and down my calves. My feet weren’t spared, either. As my feet returned to normal, there was a cooling sensation throughout my body. The chill ran down my entire body, and it felt wonderful.

“Complicated, I told you,” I wheezed.

I rolled over and sat up. My energy bar was nearly empty, but my legs were upgraded. I looked down at them. They still looked like my legs, maybe a bit more toned. I poked them. My finger didn’t depress much. The steel of my fingertip felt like it was touching another piece of metal, but one that was under my skin.

I kicked my leg, and it shot up instantly. I could barely register how fast it moved. Shadara’s eyes bounced between my legs and my face, back and forth, as her mouth sputtered wordlessly.

I might as well give them a try.

With a push, I hopped off the counter and landed on my legs. I quickly landed on my knees and caught myself. They didn’t feel the same. There was a lack of resistance when my feet touched the ground. It was like I had never hit the ground and was still falling.

I wiggled my foot. It moves.

“Are you okay?” Shadara knelt down and put her arms around my shoulders.

“I’m fine.” I slowly put my feet underneath me. With as little effort as possible, I straightened my legs and stood up. “It’s just going to take a little bit of getting used to.”

“What? What’s going to take getting used to?” Shadara’s heavy breathing and darting eyes never slowed down. “What kind of magic do you use?”

I shook my head. “It wasn’t my magic. But I don’t want to tell you more.”

Shadara quickly relaxed. “This is about that thing Bark attacked you for, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. My mind then registered that I was standing, completely naked, and dripping wet. I clicked my tongue. “Can I have that towel now?”

Shadara sputtered and started laughing. “You were just screaming, and I watched your legs deflate and return to normal. And you’re worried about a towel?” She slowly walked over and picked up the towel she dropped. “What am I going to do with you?”

“How about you take that bath you wanted, and I’ll dry myself off and change into my clothes? I need to eat again.” I waved to the bathtub. “Although, you might want to drain and replace the water first.”

The panther woman softly laughed to herself as she shook her head while walking to the tub.

I took a quick peek at my status and my two new augments.

Name: Rina Lone

Level: 21 Augments:

Agility: 210 Cellular Regeneration

Arcane: 150 Synthetic eyes: lvl. 2

Power: 65 HUD

Quickness: 385 Epidermal plating (arms) lvl. 1

Resilience: 125 Epidermal plating (hands) lvl. 1

Toughness: 145 Arm blade (right)

Unassigned Points: 0 Synthetic tendons (legs) lvl. 1

Shards: 31087 Synthetic muscle (legs) lvl. 1

Synthetic tendons (legs) level 1:

The host’s tendons have been replaced by a titanium-niobium alloy. The response time for actions in the host’s legs has been significantly reduced. The host will also find a substantial increase in dynamic actions such as jumping or kicking based on their quickness attribute.

Stat bonus: +10 agility.

Synthetic tendons (legs) level 2 available:

Cost: 52,200 shards

Insufficient funds.

Synthetic muscle (legs) level 1:

The host’s leg muscles have been replaced with coiled metallic nano-fibers. The host has chosen the speed specialization. The synthetic muscles now respond to electrical signals more efficiently, granting the host heightened control over their leg movements. The nano-fibers are extremely conductive and will malfunction if exposed to excessive amounts of direct current. The power of the host’s leg attacks will also be increased by their quickness attribute.

Stat bonus: +20 speed.

Synthetic muscle (legs) level 2 available:

Cost: 60,140 shards

Insufficient funds.