Soul Nexus: A Fantasy Tower Ascension LitRPG

The armored man nodded to the crowd around us. “My suggestion, you find a quiet corner to wait out the sudden surge of popularity. You’re new here, people will take advantage of you.”

I angled my stinger arms towards him. “People like you?”

He didn’t react. “If you want answers, meet me at the Pawed Palace.”

His body then melted into the ground, where a pool of shadow magic swirled around before dissolving. Handy trick. Maybe I could figure something like that out.

You would have to figure out how to displace matter and solve how wormholes work.

I rolled my eyes. Thanks Orange.

Killa turned to me. “I say we find him.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because if we jumped in after you, we’d have to fight.” Shadara’s head turned to the crowd. “He’s right though. We need someplace quiet to think things through. And I don’t like how some people are looking at us.”

My eyes surveyed the crowd. Most of them I couldn’t read, but those that I could, were a mix of curiosity, jealousy, and hunger.

I nodded. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

The three of us moved through the crowd as Shadara wrapped her tail around my waist. Killa held both mine and Shadara’s hands. We headed back through the colosseum and out of the building. It took us over ten minutes to get out of the building with the number of people staring at us, but they kept their distance.

Once we finally exited the colosseum, we found ourselves in yet another colosseum shaped town. All the buildings were made of the same white-washed marble. The streets were full of colorful decorations and equally colorful species of people.

The air was filled with the scent of freshly baked bread. The streets echoed with the lively chatter of locals and the melodic marching of heavy footsteps. Vibrant tapestries of cloth adorned the buildings to add color for color’s sake.

As we walked through the bustling streets, the vibrant tapestries fluttered in the gentle breeze. The scent of freshly baked bread wafted from everywhere. It was getting annoying. Lampposts lined the streets as they hung off buildings.

Several times, we saw bulky metal humanoid robots marching through the streets. One time we saw a small argument break out between a yellow-scaled bug man with six arms and another robotic street vendor. Once he raised his voice, the bulky robots came and surrounded him.

Instantly, the bug guy’s tone changed as he dropped to his knees and begged for mercy. We stood by and watched as two of the robots dragged him off towards the colosseum.

So it looks like this place has some semblance of a police. That’s good to know. But why do they look like robots? Actually, they’re probably golems. There are a lot of golems here now that I look around more.

As we made our way through the crowd, we could feel the curious gazes of onlookers, their eyes filled with a curiosity I wasn’t interested in indulging. Some even seemed envious, their longing glances betraying a hunger. The reminder of the caution the armored man had warned us about constantly played through my mind.

Despite the beauty and liveliness of the town, there was an underlying tension in the air. It was as if the vibrant facade masked a deeper sense of unease, causing us to quicken our pace and seek solace in a quieter corner of the town.

Killa broke down first. “We’re lost, and we need directions to this Pawed Palace place.”

I pointed to the marching trio of robot police. “Let’s ask them. I doubt they’ll lie to us.”

“If they can respond to us,” Shadara mumbled with her head down and ears flat.

The crowd was parting around them as they marched our direction. We waited until they were close enough, and I stepped in front of them. They stopped. One of them approached me. Its metallic body glimmered in the sunlight as it stood two and a half feet taller than me. Its face was completely featureless, like mine when my visor was closed.

Their voice boomed as they spoke, almost deafening me. Its tone was neutral, but it spoke with such volume that it was difficult not to assume it was angry.

I took a step back as it said, “Move aside.”

I raised my hands. “Sorry. We’re new here, and we wanted to ask you for directions.”

It paused. Then it responded in a much more normal volume as it said, “What is your query?”

"Where is the Pawed Palace?”

The metal golem hummed as the street went deathly silent. “No such place exists. Now, move along.”

It shoved me to the side before walking past, not giving me an option. I just stared as it walked through the parting street crowd. Everyone’s eyes were glued to us in unmistakable shock.

“So much for a low profile.” Shadara’s head lowered even further as she used me as a human shield from their gazes.

I frowned as everyone else found whatever reason to be elsewhere. I think I may have touched a nerve. But why would that guy tell us to find him in a place that doesn’t exist?

I glanced at my sisters. Shadara looked up at me with her tail wrapped tightly around her legs. Killa’s head swiveled constantly as she also noticed everyone was leaving the street.

I turned to the panther woman. “We can leave if you want, Shadara. Or we could try to find this place anyway. Maybe this is a test. This is a dangerous world after all.”

Killa frowned. “We should leave. We don’t know anything about this place or that armored man.“

Shadara nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, let’s leave. This place is messing with my instincts. I feel like a fattened pig walking down a corridor of starving wolves.”

That’s quite the description.

From behind us, I felt a tug on my jacket. I snapped around with my arm blades out and aimed at whoever was behind me. It was the cat woman from the arena. She fell backwards, covering her mouth, stifling a scream.

I lowered my arms and retracted my arm blades. “What are you doing?”

She scrambled to her feet and whispered, “Showing you to the Pawed Palace.”

I glanced at my sisters and motioned for them to say something. They shrugged. Real helpful guys. She’s our only lead, and I know she’s mostly harmless.

I motioned for her to continue. “Alright, lead the way. But first, tell us your name.”

“Niaka,” the cat woman replied as she nodded meekly and started walking with her head down. “Please, stay close.”

We followed closely behind, keeping a watchful eye on our surroundings. She led us through narrow alleyways and less crowded streets. Shadara never could shake off the feeling of being watched. Every now and then, I caught glimpses of leering gazes, but they disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

After what felt like an eternity, we arrived at a secluded entrance hidden behind a dilapidated building. Niaka turned to us and whispered, “This is it, the entrance to the Pawed Palace.”

I exchanged a nervous glance with Shadara and Killa. There’s one serious problem. “There’s no door.”

Niaka pushed a crate, revealing a grate into the ground.

We had come this far, and turning back now seemed unwise. I nodded, and we followed the cat woman into the hidden passage. Shadara shuddered at the sight of going into what was very likely the sewers.

"Now I know it’s not glorious, but it’s secretive.” Niaka lifted the grate and hopped in. “Try to not breath through your nose as you watch your step.”

We all dropped down into the sewer tunnel. The smell was nearly unbearable, and it took everything I had not to gag. I learned quickly that, just like feeling pain, I could turn off my sense of smell. Poor Shadara had to endure the stench. Killa at least offered to carry her to keep her out of the sewage.

Niaka used her magic to cover the entrance with her magic before we set off. We waded through the knee-deep water, half of us not even breathing. Killa held up a glowing white magical tentacle in front with Shadara. I brought up the rear. After what felt like hours, we arrived at a ladder to a door. Niaka climbed up first and disappeared inside.

As we climbed inside, we found ourselves in a small room where the atmosphere changed drastically. The air, thankfully, was substantially clearer. The sound of soft purring echoed through the room, creating an eerie yet strangely soothing ambiance.

Niaka waved her hand over her legs, and her furry legs cleaned up and dried instantly. She turned to us. “Would you like it if I cleaned you up too?”

Shadara jumped down off Killa’s back and waved her hand. “I’m fine.”

Killa smirked as she turned to me. Yeah, yeah. She could eat that sewage and be just fine. Gross.

I nodded. “Please. I want to be able to turn my sense of smell back on.” That caused everyone to raise an eyebrow. “Yes, I can turn my senses off or on whenever I want. Turns out, it’s pretty handy.”

Niaka stared at me. “What are you?”

I crossed my arms and kept my stinger arms coiled behind me. “Unique. Let’s leave it at that.” I waved to the surrounding room. “Is this the Pawed Palace? And why did you lead us here? More importantly, who told you to lead us here?”

The room was dimly lit, with soft golden light emanating from glowing orbs suspended from the ceiling. The walls were barren. A faint scent of lavender mingled with the lingering aroma of the sewer. Piles of sealed wooden boxes lined the room.

Niaka waved her hand over my legs. There was a ripple as all signs that I had been trudging through the sewer evaporated. “Yes, this is the Pawed Palace. Dagiel told me to bring you here since you spared my life.”

“Who’s Dagiel,” Killa asked.

Niaka closed the door to the sewer. “Someone who watches over those who need it. He’s saved me from more than one horrible situation. But that fight with Tulm’i wasn’t anything he could stop. Once I was thrown in, there wasn’t anything he could do.”

Shadara frowned. “How did you get thrown in? Why?”

Niaka lowered her head as she flattened her ears. “Someone from the crowd pushed me. It’s an event everyone loves watching. Tulm’i the Slaughterer was aptly named. He loved putting on a show for people while he relished each kill. And with these new classes, I imagine it only would’ve gotten worse.”

She opened the one door out and waved for us to leave. I stepped into the hall and was greeted with a sight much more befitting the name Pawed Palace. Golden engravings of various feline creatures lined the stone walls and shimmered in the silver lighting. The floors were covered in thick crimson carpet, which radiated a warmth I could feel through my boots.

The air was filled with the pleasant scent of lavender, no doubt the source of the faint aroma from earlier. The hallway was lined with wooden doors, all closed.

“But you killed him,” the cat woman said as we walked. “When you turned into a werewolf, you killed him like it was nothing. Then you shifted back so freely. How? Your clothes survived too. I didn’t know a werewolf could do that. Is that part of your class? And if you’re so strong, why don’t you stay as a werewolf? If I…“

I covered her mouth with my hand. “It’s not that simple. First of all, I’m not a werewolf. My magic can cover me, making me look like one. And if I use it all the time, I'll get complacent. Most everyone would only be able to use it for a second at most anyway, so don’t ask me to teach it to you.”

Niaka slumped her shoulders. “So then, why did you save me?”

I turned to Killa and Shadara, both of whom looked like they wanted to ask the same question. “I don’t like killing. Now I see that there are people who are just so evil that they have to be stopped. Otherwise, they will do horrible things to me or those close to me.”

I turned back to the cat woman. “Maybe I should’ve jumped sooner and saved more of you, but I…”—I looked down at my hand and clenched it—“I hesitated.”

Niaka grabbed my hand. “Well, at least you weren’t one of those enthralled lunatics that cheered that maniac on. I didn’t say it before, but thank you. Thank you for saving me and sparing my life.”

I nodded, but couldn’t bring myself to say anything. Niaka then turned and led us further on.

Is not killing someone and saving them for my own conscience worth accepting? I didn’t save her because I wanted to, but because I couldn’t watch her die as well.

Your actions put you at unnecessary risk. We are not in any capacity to judge morality since it occasionally dictates irrational actions, but we understand that you hold yourself to a certain belief. What you did will be seen as heroic by others, and why you did it matters only for you. The right reason for any action you take should never matter to anyone but yourself.

I get that. But another part is that it was so much easier to kill him. I know what I said, but it shouldn’t be that much easier, should it?

Evil or good, right or wrong, it doesn’t matter in the collective actions of the multiverse. When it’s kill or be killed, your survival is all that matters. Morality is a privilege, one that you don’t have the luxury of.

That said, to say it’s pointless is incorrect too. Your reasoning for going with The Game Master’s plan is the right kind of thinking. Making enemies unnecessarily through actions deemed wrong, by popular belief, would be counterproductive. Doing things deemed right, by popular belief, to make things easier in the short or long term is tactical. It’s better to keep your rationale to yourself. You don’t want people using it against you.

Having your two sisters is enough ammunition to use against you.

That last bit was uncalled for, Orange. But I see what you’re saying. You’ve been trying to tell me something like that for a while now. The Soul Nexus brings out the worst in people. Although, that’s the point of it, isn’t it? The only people who come here are either desperate or insane.

A content person with everything they could want won’t go to a place to have a wish granted. The people who come here are already broken, and this place breaks them even further. How many betrayals does it take before you lose the ability to trust? Can you survive that long?

Each floor we go up, we find more and more deranged people. If Tulm’i was the strongest person on this floor, and I killed him so quickly, that would make me the strongest person.

There’s a target on you from everyone now that they’ve seen that you aren’t alone and aren’t always at your most powerful. We advise extra caution from here on out. After all, this may be a trap.

I’d hate to admit it, but you’re probably right.

Niaka led us down the hall, taking us left at the end, then right, and then right again. Eventually, we found ourselves standing before a set of massive wooden doors. Niaka took a deep breath and knocked twice. The doors creaked open, and she pushed forward, revealing a small throne room. Sitting on an ivory throne was the black winged armored man from the colosseum.

Niaka kneeled before him, placing her staff on the ground. “I’ve brought them like you’ve asked, Dagiel.”

“I’m glad you’ve decided to seek wisdom,” he said as he stood up. “There’s no soft way to put this, but we have a problem, and we need your help.”