LIGHTNOVELONLINE V3.15 Getting Comfortable
A pearly white marble room with mahogany benches with violet cushions greeted us. There was nobody around, and we only saw a single door.
Shadara set me down on one of the benches before sitting next to me. “You doing alright?”
I shook my head. “No.”
Killa placed her hand on my shoulder. “What part of what she said is bothering you?”
I wrapped my arms around my stomach, my third arm even wrapped around me. “The part where she said that my existence is worth less than hers. My existence isn’t that pointless, right? Even if the Nexus created me for the singular purpose of studying me, I do matter.”
Killa smiled. “Of course you do.”
“Then, if it created me, what was I doing on Earth? Why was I not born in the Nexus? How are there records of my birth and everything?” Each question came out more frantic than the last.
Shadara patted my head and shushed me. “Does it matter? Do you regret your life up to this point? If, and I do mean if, the Soul Nexus is the one to create your soul, and you were taken from it, someone is out there helping you.”
Nyx appeared from the archway. Silently, and with no shortage of stares from Killa and Shadara, she walked through the room and left through the doorway.
“This Game Master that Nyx mentioned, do you know who they are?” Killa asked.
“She said that they helped me.” I relaxed a little, letting my mind be distracted. “The only person who helped me was a Mr. Black.”
Killa tilted her head. “Can they be the same person? Maybe The Game Master is more of a title.”
Shadara nodded. “That would make sense. Any ally is welcome. Do you know why he helped you?”
I tried to remember, but so much happened that I was losing track of everything that happened to me. “He said something about me being punished wasn’t fair. But he never asked for anything in return.”
“So, the questions you must ask now are,” Killa started. “What do you do when you learn that the Soul Nexus created you? How does knowing this change anything for you right now? And now that you’ve decided to spare Nyx, what’s your goal now?”
Correct. This information isn’t pressing for your current objective. Your desire to assist your companions is admirable. You’re attempting to earn your right to exist. That shouldn’t change based on who created you.
I took a deep breath. “You’re right. This shouldn’t change things.”
Shadara gave me a hard pat on the back. “There you go. One more existential crisis conquered. One of these days you’ll get the hang of it. Your future is yours to make however you want. You just need to want it.”
“You brought up the future, but it’s your past that has me more intrigued, Shadara.” Killa gave me a quick wink. “Rina doesn’t have to have everyone question her all the time. It’s your turn to be questioned.”
The panther woman shrugged. “I said that I would explain. Although, it’s nothing nearly as glamorous as your histories, I’m sure.” She leaned forward. “I was almost sold to an incubus. It wasn’t something I wanted. Slavers captured me, took us to Hell, then tried to sell me and a few others to devils.”
I stared at her. “That’s a thing in your world?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Of course it is. Unfortunately, the incubus they tried to sell me to didn’t like the idea of slavers. He cursed them, and they turned into solid gold statues.” I swallowed audibly. “They now decorate his front garden. Afterwards, he offered to take us in since we were naked and far removed from our homes. All we had to do was work for him.”
Killa frowned. “It sounds like he got slaves either way. Instead of purchasing you, he earned your admiration. He sounds worse than the slavers.”
The panther woman nodded. “That’s why I left. But leaving Hell is harder than you can imagine.”
I had so many questions. “Isn’t Hell kind of permanent, isn’t it? Don’t you have to die to get there? Why would they sell you to the Devil?”
Shadara held up her hand. “It’s not the Devil, but a devil. There are lots of different kinds. And going to hell isn’t that hard; it doesn’t require dying. If you know someone who can work portals, it’s easy. They apparently had some kind of item that would take them back home after they were finished.”
She hung her head. “But that became useless after turning it into gold when it was on the person carrying it. Another thing, devils don’t help others out for free—ever. Helping a mortal leave hell—doubly so.”
Her gaze became distant. “So, with no other options, I stayed with the incubus. He took a liking to me and started teaching me magic. When he started treating me better than the others I came with, I started to get the sinking feeling that something was wrong. Shortly after that, the transformation magic started.”
Killa gave a pained look.
Shadara rubbed her hands together. “Yeah, He’s why I reacted to your transformation. I’m sorry for the way I acted. It was stupid. The demon wanted me to learn transformation magic to please him and others, and then, through them, find physical pleasure. That’s not what I want.”
She turned to me. “You’ve changed your body for yourself, nobody else. Nobody is making you do it, and it’s working for you. In the short time I’ve known you, you’ve improved so much. Each change you’ve made has had a purpose for you.”
I hugged her, even wrapping my third arm over her shoulder too. “It’s fine. You made it out of hell, how?”
Shadara smirked. “A very powerful wizard banished to Hell for a year was wandering around. The best he could do was send me to a random plane of existence. The Soul Nexus was just the destination. What I told you about my wish was just what I could come up with at that moment.”
I held her tighter. “That just means we’re that much more alike. Like you said, we have time to decide. Besides, what you told me, is perfectly acceptable. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know the answer to the meaning of life? And given what’s happened recently, I’m starting to wonder about that myself.”
Killa laughed. “See? That wasn’t so bad. Are you both feeling better?”
We nodded together and said, “Yeah.”
Killa clapped her hands. “Good. What do you say to seeing what adventure awaits us on this floor?”
Shadara patted my head. “I think someone needs a wardrobe alteration first.” As I let her go, she ran her hand on the base of my stinger arm. “I’ll admit, a three-arm hug feels pretty good. When it comes to arms, more is better.”
Killa sprouted six extra arms and hugged us both. “If you like three, you’re going to love me.”
We walked out together. The scent of salt water hammered me as a sprawling metropolis stretched below us. The white stone buildings of the seaside city glistened in the sunlight. We were standing on the side of a mountain. A dull roar of incoherent conversations filling the streets reached us.
Killa took in an exaggerated breath—odd considering she doesn’t require breathing for anything besides speaking. “This reminds me of home. I miss the ocean.”
I hummed. “I’ve never seen the ocean before.”
Past the city was a shimmering, vast blue surface. The rays of the sun danced upon the shimmering, vast blue surface, creating a mesmerizing display of sparkles that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon. Everything was so tranquil. Its vastness seemed to swallow everything else around us. The view was nothing short of breathtaking, with the azure expanse reflecting the clear blue sky above.
Shadara gave me a slight nudge forward. “If you want to keep staring, it can wait until after we get what we need done first. Business before pleasure.” She pointed to the water. “Maybe there’s some cruise tour you can go on. I can see several boats docked. That’s for both of you.”
Killa shrugged. “Sorry. The nostalgia got to me.”
Earth was covered in so much water, yet I had never left the city. I never saw a lake or river, let alone the ocean.
Do you know how to swim?
I snorted internally. Nope. It seemed like a useless skill. Running and good hand-eye coordination were more relevant at the time.
Unfortunate. Then now is a bad time to learn. I’d avoid falling in unless you purchase a means to breathe water or remove the need for oxygen.
I swallowed. Good to know.
Walking through the city, I noticed it was mostly full of half-snake people. Orange corrected my thoughts by calling them lamias. From the waist down, they were snakes of various, vibrant colors. They had longer ears, patches of scales across their human-looking skin, slitted eyes, and short, but noticeable, claws.
With all the snake tails, we had to be extra careful not to step on someone else, even when everyone else slithered all over each other without a second thought. At least the buildings were well-labeled. Shadara asked around where we could find a tailor who specialized in magical clothes.
We were directed to a building not far from the docks. The scent of salt in the air was starting to get annoying. As we entered the store, a black-scaled lamia with a yellow diamond coloration along his back sat coiled in the middle of the store, staring at a display of four suits.
The store was well lit from the plethora of open windows. The sound of waves crashing against the docks drummed in the background. The air inside was light, with the scent of honey and cloves. A soft breeze rustled through the open windows, bringing with it the briny air. It wasn’t a good combination of smells. His piercing amber eyes locked onto the suits on display. They seemed perfectly made to me.
He had a slim build, short, blonde hair, and a soft face. His black-scaled cheeks contrasted with his pasty white skin. “I’ll be with you in a moment,” he said in an annoyed tone.
We froze in the doorway. None of us moved as we watched the snake man tap his scaled cheek as he crossed his arms. He grumbled something before snapping his fingers. All four of the suits unraveled around their manikins, becoming nothing more than a ring of fabric on the floor.
“Terrible.” He turned to us and gave us a deep bow. “Sorry about that. I’ve been working on those all day and can’t seem to get them to look the way I envision them.”
He straightened and held out his arms. “Welcome. How can I help you today?” His eyes fell on me. “Perhaps you might be in need of a new top and jacket? I’ll admit, that appendage isn’t one I’ve seen in that location before. Are you sure you need a tailor, not a doctor?”
I frowned. “I was hoping you’d tailor my jacket and a few shirts. Now? I think I’ll figure something else out.”
He held up his hands. “Wait! My apologies. It just seemed more than a little out of place. But, I’d be more than happy to adjust some clothes for you. I’d even make it extra quick to say I’m sorry.”
Shadara wagged her finger. “And a discount.”
He cringed. I saw his one eye twitch slightly. “A discount for the jacket, of course. After all, that is quite the magical piece you have there. The creator must have been quite the artisan.” He took another bow as he waved to a counter. “You may call me, Alcidas. If you would please, place what you wish altered on the counter here. Then I’ll ask you to disrobe so that I may take measurements.”
I placed several extra shirts, just in case I damaged any beyond repair. Killa happily picked out several from her bag. I took off the jacket and then paused. “Um, give me a second before you take the measurements.”
Alcidas looked at me with unabashed confusion.
Orange, can you start the upgrade of a second stinger arm?
Additional limb upgrade available; stinger arm augment chosen.
Cost: 90,000 shards.
Purchase?
Yes.
I quickly took off my shirt and grabbed the counter as my shoulder burned. The augmentation process was faster, but more painful than while I was fighting my mirror self. But it did bring something to my attention.
Orange, why did I not feel much pain in the fight with my mirror double?
We encouraged your brain to create large quantities of adrenaline and endorphins. Your body produced roughly nine times more than what would kill a normal human. Their hearts would’ve burst long before they reached what yours can achieve.
I slowly released the counter. Warn me next time, please.
Apologies. We assumed that you knew.
I exhaled sharply. No, but it explains things.
Alcidas tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to him. His mouth was wide open. “Are you—what are you?”
I crossed my normal arms and let my two stinger arms stretch behind me. “I’m complicated.”
He continued to stare before he shook his head. “Right. Those are real, right?”
“I made them myself,” I said smugly. With some help.
“Just when you think you’ve seen it all,” he muttered to himself. “This just got a little more complicated. How are their mobility and range of motion?”
I flexed my new stinger arms and moved them around in front of him. “Good, as far as I can tell.”
His eyes followed my movement. “Impressive. I don’t think I’ll need to do much adjusting. Maybe a couple of holes should do the trick. I should have this done in an hour. Is that okay?”
I nodded. “That sounds fine.”
Alcidas hurried to a back room with my clothes.
Killa whistled. “That was impressive. Watching you change is always fascinating to watch.”
Shadara put on a forced smile as she gave me a thumbs-up. I slumped my shoulders, noticing my stinger arms also drooping more than usual. Four arms. It’s really happened. I just casually grew a fourth arm. I really have changed a lot since coming here.
Correct. If you hadn’t, you would never have made it this far. You would’ve died alone in that basement.
I clenched a fist as I stared at it. Then this is to a new me, an artificial soul that will live. Even the Soul Nexus won’t stop me.
Good.
We waited in the shop until Alcidas returned. His modifications were simple, yet effective. For my jacket, he cut simple slits for my stinger arms to slip through easily. I just needed to make sure I did those first before putting my original arms through the sleeves.
For my shirts, he cut off the sleeves and opened them so that both sets of arms fit through the holes. Thankfully, my bra straps fit on the inside of my stinger arms. It was a slight adjustment to something usually mundane, but having four arms isn’t mundane.
As he handed me my clothes, he bowed once again. “There you go. I hope you enjoy. Please, come again if you need more adjustments done.”
I thanked him and put my clothes back on. Shadara paid Alcidas for his work before we left. Killa chuckled. “You seem a little happier than before.”
I placed my stinger arms on my hips and strutted ahead. “What can I say? I‘m a lot more comfortable with who—what—I am.”
Shadara giggled. “You do look happier now. Let’s check out the docks since you both were so enamored with the ocean at first sight.”
Name: Rina Lone Augments:
Level: 36 Cellular Regeneration
Agility: 352 Synthetic eyes: lvl. 2
Arcane: 255 HUD
Power: 130 Mana battery (shadow) integration
Quickness: 560 Additional Stinger Arm X2
Resilience: 260 Arm blade (right), Retractable
Toughness: 270 Synthetic tendons (legs) lvl. 2
Unassigned Points: 5 Synthetic muscle (legs) lvl. 2
Shards: 38,600 Synthetic bones (legs) lvl. 1
Synthetic bones (arms) lvl. 1
Shadow Powers: Synthetic tendons (arms) lvl. 2
Manifestation lvl. 6 Synthetic muscle (arms) lvl. 2
Shaping lvl. 6 Epidermal plating (arms) lvl. 2
Distance lvl. 1 Epidermal plating (legs) lvl. 2
Sub-dermal plating (torso) lvl. 2
Synthetic muscle (torso) lvl. 1
Nanobot Blood Replacement
Additional Stinger Arm X2:
The host has gained an additional arm attached to their collarbone. This limb gains all the benefits of the augments to their other arms. Instead of a traditional hand, the arm ends in a sharp bony stinger. Due to the epidermal plating (arms) level 2 augment, the stinger is coated in the same metal as the arm, altering its offensive capabilities to scale with epidermal plating’s toughness rather than the host’s power.
Stat Bonus: +30 Power, +10 Agility.