My mind spun as consciousness slowly returned. My vision started out hazy, and my body felt had been shredded to pieces. The oppressive heat of the forge was gone, and I could hear soft murmurs, the clinking of glasses, and the banging of wood.
I was lying in a comfortable bed in a dimly lit room. The pain still lingered, but it had receded to a dull roar. I lifted my arm and saw the arm blade had regrown. As the fog in my mind lifted, I recalled the deal I had struck with Adbeck. I also noticed my energy bar was at half.
With a deep breath, I moved to roll out of the bed. I winced at the residual pain coursing through my arm. Okay, that was stupid. Even the time when that giant spider liquified my guts was less painful. Maybe because most of the nerves had been burned away too.
Just then, the inn’s door creaked open, and Adbeck entered the room. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept for a couple of days. He placed two plates of food on a dresser and frowned at me.
“You’re awake,” he said, his voice heavy. “How are you feeling?”
I gingerly rubbed my arm. “Sore.” That doesn’t even begin to describe me, but it’ll be enough for now. I can’t let myself get attached to him. “But I’ll live.”
Adbeck sighed as he sat down at the edge of the bed. “Girl, I’m sorry for all the pain I put you through.” He placed the gun next to me. “A deal is a deal.”
I cradled the gun and ran my hands over it. I popped out of the chambers and saw it wasn’t loaded. “That was pretty stupid.”
The dark dwarf nodded. “Yes, yes, it was. Don’t ever ask me to put you through that again. From now on, you’ll pay with shards like everyone else.”
I smirked as I closed the gun. “That’s fair. I don’t plan on being short on shards again. This was just an emergency.”
Adbeck eyed the gleaming black gun. “That is yours now. Take care of it for me, will you?”
I gave him a smile. “Of course.” After that, they’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.
He nodded. “So, what’s the emergency?”
I put the gun in my pocket. Surprisingly, it fit, although it felt awkward. “Someone is after me, and they’re even harder to kill than me. I was told there was a way to learn how to kill them on the fifth floor. So I’m trying to get there as soon as possible.”
The dwarf held up two fingers. “Two things. One, you need to get yourself a holster for that. And second, don’t rush too quickly. You need to survive when you reach your destination. You’re lucky I’m as honorable as I am. Most others would’ve taken advantage of you if they were in my position.”
A chill ran down my spine. “Then... thank you. I guess I owe you one.”
Adbeck chuckled and waved his hand. “Nah. If I can pull off what I want with that metal you just gave me, I’d more than make my money back. Even with the potion and food over there, I’d probably make more from that than from that gun I just gave you. And if I can replicate it, then, oh boy, look out.” His eyes glowed as he stared past me.
There’s something odd about him. “Adbeck…” The dwarf regarded me. “Were you born in the Nexus?”
“No.”
“Then why did you come here? What’s your wish?” I almost slapped my face. No, I shouldn’t ask something like that. I can’t afford to have him as a friend. “Nevermind, you don’t have to answer that.”
He waved his hand. “It’s alright. It must seem odd that I have such an established position in a place like this. The truth is, I gave up.” He leaned forward and stared at the ground. “After I saw the sphinx’s trial, I knew I never stood a chance. And since I can’t leave, I decided to make the best of it. And now you’ve shown up and brought a bit of excitement I haven’t seen in a long time.” He turned back to me. “Do you think you can stand a chance at the sphinx’s trial?”
I rubbed my knees. “There isn’t another option for me, is there? That’s the only way up.” He nodded. “Then that’s what I have to do. I’ll clear dungeons and gain levels until I’m fast enough. I only have to triple my speed.”
Adbeck slapped his knees, then stood up. “Alright then. I wish you all the luck to break through this hell.” He grabbed one of the plates of food and headed for the door. The dark dwarf turned and smiled. “Remember, you can always count on me for the best in weaponry and armor until you leave.”
I rubbed the gun in my pocket. “About that holster, any recommendations?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, but unless you want one made of metal, I’m not much help. And I haven’t kept up with who’s who to know any quality leatherworkers. You’ll just have to ask around.”
The dwarf closed the door as he left. I looked at the plate he left. There was a grilled steak in a puddle of juices with long, thin, tiny head mushrooms. I’ve eaten worse. I picked up the plate and scarfed the food down. It was good, but not nearly enough to move my energy bar much.
As I left the small room, I walked down the hallway towards the sound of a crowd cheering. I walked down a stairwell into a packed dining room. It looked like there were two of the insect-like creators that Igzad called centicrads wrestling while everyone watched, took bets, and drank copious amounts of that horrible-tasting alcohol.
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Not interested. There were a couple of bottles of untended water on a table. Water was free before, so I hope nobody minds. They can just get refills later. I focused on them, looking for impurities, letting my vision magnify as much as possible, and saw that they were as pure as the water from the little dinner place Igzad took me. Nobody looked my way when I downed them.
I left the inn-like cavern without a word or anyone looking in my direction. As I wandered through the labyrinthine halls, I contemplated what I should do first. I need to get some food and water for while I’m in a dungeon, since I don’t know how deep they are. That diner might be a good place to start.
I tried to retrace my steps, which would’ve been a lot easier if all the walls didn’t all look the same. It was made worse since I couldn’t use my little trick to find the forge by looking for the coldest area since everything was the same temperature. Luckily, I found another one. It wasn’t the same place, and it was run by a tall, lanky elven woman who sounded like she had smoked three packs a day for thirty years. The water was free, and she pointed me out to someone who produced meal potions.
After I placed several bottles of water in the bag of holding, I went to get the potions. A two-headed man with wrinkly green skin worked in a room full of cauldrons sitting on red rocks. The place stunk, and listening to two distinct voices at the same time every time he talked was disorienting, but he did sell me four meal potions for thirty-eight hundred shards. I placed them in the bag and followed the directions a centicrad gave me to the nearest exit.
I left the city and looked up at the night sky. The purplish backdrop to the thousands of twinkling stars of white, red, orange, yellow, and green left me nearly breathless. It’s like I’m on a different world compared to the last floor. Is this a feature of my enhanced eyes?
Yes. The host’s eyes are capable of viewing a greater range of light and seeing things with far more clarity than before.
I didn’t ask you, but thanks for the answer.
I popped one of the meal potions down my throat as I walked forward. The potion filled my energy bar until it was three-quarters filled. Time to see what Igzad warned me about these bav’varsts for.
As I walked, I scooped up any small rocks that would fit in my revolver’s chambers and pocketed the rest. The satisfying click of the cylinder going back into place put me a little more at ease. I took one last look at my status as I asked the Soul Nexus to take me to the shallowest dungeon.
Name: Rina Lone Level: 17 Augments: Agility: 185 Cellular Regeneration Arcane: 105 Synthetic eyes: lvl. 2 Power: 65 HUD Quickness: 260 Epidermal plating (arms) lvl. 1 Resilience: 115 Epidermal plating (hands) lvl. 1 Toughness: 130 Arm blade (right) Unassigned Points: 0 Shards: 16044
Cellular Regeneration:
The host’s body is filled with tiny nanites. The nanites constantly work to upkeep the host’s peek physical condition and repairing any damaged cells at the cost of energy. The more severe the damage, the more energy required. Any amount of damage can be repaired so long as at least 50% of the host’s brain remains intact and the require energy is supplied.
Stat bonus: none.
Synthetic Eyes Level 2:
The host’s natural eyes have been replaced with advanced metallic replicas. These synthetic eyes are equipped with unique state-of-the-art sensors and optics. They will provide the host with heightened visual acuity, clarity, and enhancement. Additionally, these synthetic eyes offer improved night vision. New vision options are provided to the host. The host may now emit and detect terahertz radiation to create a local mapping of their surroundings. The host’s eyes can now absorb infrared light, allowing the host to see heat signatures and thermal variations.
Stat bonus: +5 Quickness, +10 Agility.
HUD (heads-up display):
The host’s vision will be supplemented with useful and relevant information, such as energy levels, mana levels, and other information the host desires at any given moment. The bars reflect the host’s natural limits and can be exceeded.
Stat bonus: +5 arcane.
Epidermal plating (arms) level 1:
The outer layer of the host’s arms has been replaced with an organic metal. This metal is flexible, nonmagnetic, conductive, and immune to oxidation. The host will suffer from reduced tactile feedback in the affected area, but their defense is doubled.
Stat bonus: +10 toughness per arm.
Epidermal plating (hands) level 1:
The outer layer of the host’s hands has been replaced with an organic metal. This metal is flexible, nonmagnetic, conductive, and immune to oxidation. The host will suffer from reduced tactile feedback in the affected area, but their defense is doubled.
Stat bonus: +3 power per hand.
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.