The bustling market ignored the pair, who spent several hours every day watching the floor’s entrance portal. Mimicking every day prior, the portal sat inactive, and not a soul entered after they did. Nobody bothered the panther beastwoman and the slime woman. They didn’t move or say anything as they sat.
After four hours, the pair left.
Shadara’s feet struck the pavement harder than usual. Small hairline cracks were starting to form around her footfalls. “We never should’ve left her alone.”
Killa dragged her feet as she walked next to her sworn sister. “I know, I know. But she said it was too dangerous.”
“Too dangerous for us. Yeah, you’ve said that before.” Shadara threw her hands in the air.
“You didn’t see her face.” Killa lowered her voice. “Kuljack handled us so easily. Rina told me that whoever Elveil was, she was way more powerful than he was. Let’s face it, we would’ve only slowed her down and been liabilities.”
Shadara let out a heavy huff. “Then, yeah. But we’ve gotten so much stronger. We would’ve kept getting stronger there too.”
“Not strong enough,” Killa grumbled. “We still can’t compete with her werewolf form. The way she was talking, it sounded like that wasn’t enough.”
Shadara lowered her head as she came to a halt. “I know. It’s just this waiting that’s killing me. This helplessness is brutal.”
Killa put a hand on the panther woman’s shoulder. “I feel it too. We have this conversation every day. Even still, we can’t give up hope.”
Shadara turned and hugged Killa. “That’s easier said than done. But… you’re right. Thank you for putting up with my little fits.”
Killa rubbed Shadara’s back. “Any time. We have each other. When you’re ready, let’s get you some food.”
The pair continued to embrace each other in the middle of the street. As Shadara clung to Kill, Killa kept herself together despite the pain she felt. Each day brought more and heavier regret for leaving Rina behind all because she told her to. Now she understood how Rina felt after Bark’s death, and Rina thought she was dead.
In the back of her mind, she was starting to prepare herself for the possibility of the likely grim truth: Rina wasn’t coming back. But she would keep that to herself as long as she could for now. Shadara had to come to that realization on her own.
The crowd of people was a plethora of different species. The eighth floor was the most peaceful since the second floor with the shaylips. Many people gave up at this point. So much so that they built an entire town, grew it, and had families as they built new lives for themselves.
Killa wasn’t about to give up. She needed to fulfill her wish for Aquantula. But with everything on all the floors prior, she understood if others wanted to. In actuality, she was happy they quit while they still lived.
Climbing the Nexus was far more than she was led to believe. Her patron couldn’t even tell her what to expect. Although, Rina’s madness hadn’t helped with that. The Soul Nexus was a vague myth in her home world. Aquantula was old enough to have only heard of it mentioned and needed help from another god to find it so she could send Killa there.
If Shadara wanted to quit now that Rina might be gone, Killa wouldn’t blame her. Instead, she would give her all the best wishes that she find some sliver of happiness here. The rest of the climb would be lonely, but it may be for the best.
Shadara’s will to go to dungeons, and level up was evaporating. They were spending more time at the entrance, and her usual fit complaining about leaving Rina had been growing more subdued each day. It might be time for the Shadara to just rest.
Not everyone can climb the hardest mountain. Not everyone is destined to reach the summit.
The pair eventually walked into the same restaurant they had for the last ten days after not seeing Rina appear from the portal. The waitress, a deer beastwoman, smiled at the two. Being recent frequent visitors, Siari would strike up a conversation with them. But when the pair didn’t return her smile, as per their usual ritual, she retreated back to her practiced routine.
“The usual table for two?” she asked after her bow.
“Yes, please, Siari,” Killa answered. She gave Shadara a long look as the panther woman didn’t stop to be shown to her seat. Shadara just kept walking, almost as if in a haze.
Siari followed the pair to their usual booth in the corner with a view into the street for Shadara. The deer woman had been born on the eighth floor, so she didn’t understand why they were waiting for a woman they called Rina. Killa tried to explain the nature of the Soul Nexus to her. The woman understood the concept, but experiencing the Nexus was far different from hearing about it.
Siari placed a menu in front of Shadara. Shadara just pushed it back in her direction. “Just give me a quadruple order of the feast platter. Make it rare.”
“As you wish. I will get that out for you when it’s ready.” Siari scooped up the menu and left the gloomy pair in peace.
Killa was grateful that the deer woman understood that it was best to just leave them alone as she sat across from Shadara. Shadara wasn’t talkative today. Killa watched as Shadara buried her head in her hands.
The slime woman flowed under the table and to the seat next to Shadara as the woman broke down again. There had been tears in the past, but this was more. Killa pulled her sister close and let her sob into her shoulder.
Killa stroked Shadara’s hair as the panther woman’s sobs shook her shoulders. The quiet corner of the restaurant was subtly filled with grief. Killa felt her own resolve wavering, a raw ache building in her. She had been the strong one, but even she wasn’t sure how much longer she would last.
The doorbell jingled as someone entered the restaurant, a faint sound that neither of them noticed. Shadara finally pulled away, wiping her tear-streaked face, though her eyes remained downcast.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her voice hoarse. “I’m dragging you down.”
“Don’t ever apologize for feeling.” Killa helped clean off Shadara’s face with her hand. “We’ve been through too much for that. You’d do the same for me.”
Shadara offered a weak nod and straightened in her seat. The weariness in her posture seemed far too painful to ignore. Killa was about to suggest they call it a day when Siari returned with Shadara’s platters, the steam of seared meat wafting from the massive dish.
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Shadara barely acknowledged it, poking halfheartedly at the meat. Killa reached out and brushed a few stray hairs out of Shadara’s eyes.
“Eat,” she said softly. “You’ll feel better with some energy.”
Shadara sighed but complied, chewing into the rare meat mechanically. Killa watched her for a moment before speaking. But any words she would’ve said were lost. So instead, she just let things sit quietly.
Shadara glanced up, her golden eyes dull. “What if Rina doesn’t make it? What do we do if she never comes back?”
“I’ll move on,” Killa admitted. “I still have to reach the top of the Soul Nexus. What will you do?”
The panther woman mulled the question over as she chewed. Finally, she swallowed. “I don’t know, honestly. I’ve escaped my old life. And seeing all this here, maybe…”
Killa smiled faintly, relieved to see a flicker of hope in her sister. “Do you want to stay?”
Shadara dropped her fork. “Would you stay with me?”
Killa bit her lip before responding. “No.”
“Good,” Shadara sighed. “At least one of us hasn’t lost their heart. What do you want me to do? Should I continue to go with you?”
Killa shook her head. “If your heart isn’t in this anymore, no. I’ve been so happy to get to know you. But I believe you would be better off here. That isn’t me telling you what to do. If you want to climb with me, I would love it if you did. And if not, I’ll help you get settled here, make sure you’re happy, then move on. I’ll miss you terribly, but I’ll never forget you.”
“There’s no easy answer, is there?” Shadara asked.
Killa propped her head in a hand. “There rarely is.”
As Shadara ate slowly. After she ate two of the platters, there was some commotion in the street. Hoards of people were running in one direction with fear in their eyes. Shadara barely lifted her eyes from her food.
Killa sat up straight. “Hey Shadara, something’s going on out there.”
Shadara’s ears perked up. “Probably another tavern brawl gone too far. Don’t worry about it.”
Killa got up. “Well, I’m going to see what it is. You can stay here.”
“Fine.” Shadara pushed herself up. “It’s probably nothing.
Killa created a dull yellow shard to pay for the food. “I remember a time where you’d leap at the chance to see what’s going on.”
Shadara shrugged. “I’ve just not been in the mood.”
Killa silently concurred. Depression really is a mood killer.
The pair stepped out of the restaurant after tossing the shard to Siari on the way out. Blending into the stream of panicked bodies flowing through the street. Killa’s gooey body adjusted and slipped through the frantic movement. Shadara followed at a slower pace; people who ran into her just bounced off her.
It wasn’t hard to see a mass exodus of people running out of a bar. People were splashing in blood as they ran.
Shadara glared at Killa. “Tavern brawl gone bad. By the smell of blood, very bad.”
Killa wanted to roll her eyes. But Shadara wasn’t moping. There was a level of alertness that wasn’t there the entire day. “Come on, let’s make sure nobody’s dying.”
“If you insist,” Shadara sighed.
As they walked in, they saw a sextet of people all pointing weapons at a figure at the bar. She had braided orange hair, deep purple metal skin with white spots like stars, and two extra thin arms with blades at the end extending out from her collarbone. A fluffy tail matching her hair extended out from just above her butt. She was completely naked, with only a belt with a few pouches on it. A dwarf in heavy armor, and a missing arm, was impaled on a blade that extended from her forearm.
“Rina?!” Shadara gasped.
The woman retracted her arm blade. “You were asked to cease your physical contact. When you didn’t comply, we told you the consequences. Yet you still continued to believe that touching this body was permitted.”
Killa froze and grabbed Shadara’s shoulder. The woman looked very similar to Rina. But her voice sounded too empty, like there was no emotion in it. “Wait, I don’t think that’s Rina.”
The dwarf gasped as he held his other hand to his bleeding stump. The woman grabbed the severed arm off the floor and held it out to the others with their weapons drawn. “The stab missed all his organs. It is non-lethal. However, he is losing substantial amounts of blood. If you wish to save him, medical attention must be administered as soon as possible. And if you are quick enough, his arm may be reattached with minor repairs.”
One of the other guys, an elf whose skin looked a lot like bark, aimed his spear at the woman. “You strut in her naked and expect him not to think you’re a pleasure golem, and then when he treats you like one, you stab him?”
The metallic woman tilted her head slightly, as if dissecting the elf’s words for meaning. Her expression remained devoid of emotion. “The assumption of my purpose is irrelevant. Consent was not given, and his actions necessitated intervention. The lesson should be clear: actions have consequences.”
Shadara’s claws flexed instinctively, a low growl rumbling in her throat. “That is Rina. I’d recognize her anywhere.”
Killa’s fingers tightened on Shadara’s shoulder. “Something’s wrong with her. Look at her eyes.”
Shadara squinted, focusing on the metallic woman’s face. Her bright, glowing orange eyes were impossible to read. But one thing was clear: they weren’t Rina’s green eyes.
The elf sneered and stepped forward, spear at the ready. “You think you can just walk out of here after mutilating someone? You’ve got another thing coming.”
“Wait!” Shadara called out, stepping into the room. “Stop. I know her—she’s with us.”
The elf hesitated, eyes darting between Shadara and the woman at the bar. “This your friend? Then maybe you can explain why she’s acting like a dumb machine.”
Shadara hesitated, caught between relief and unease. “Rina, what happened to you?”
The metallic woman turned her head toward Shadara, her gaze meeting the panther woman’s. A flicker of recognition passed over her face, brief as a spark. “Shadara. Killa.” Her voice softened, a faint trace of emotion emerging before being buried again. “Your presence here is… fortuitous.”
Killa stepped up to who she thought looked like Rina. “Rina, it’s us. We’ve been waiting for you for days. What’s going on? Why are you like this?”
Rina—or whatever she had become—paused, her extra blade-like limbs lying smoothly against her back. “This body is a recent acquisition. Adjustments are still in progress. But there is a great deal that needs explaining.”
Shadara’s growl deepened. “Adjustments? What does that mean?”
“Is the dwarf’s life important to anyone?” She motioned with the arm still in her hand at its owner, whose body was slowing and quieting down. “At this rate, he will die in ninety-seven seconds.”
A lizard woman in red robes with copper scales knelt next to the dwarf. “I don’t think I’ll be giving him back his arm. It’ll be an excellent lesson for Hortmack.”
Her hand glowed white as she placed it on the bleeding stump. The sound of searing flesh and screams filled the bar. Killa watched as Shadara crumpled her nose at what was probably the scent of burnt flesh.
The metallic woman tossed the arm to the side. She turned to the bartender, who held up a thick gun. “I apologize for the mess and inconvenience.”
“If you apologize, then get out and don’t come back, you monster,” the man said as his arms shook with the heavy weapon in them.
She gave a bow and headed out without another word. Killa and Shadara watched mesmerized at not-Rina’s behavior.
“Hey,” the elf called after them. “You still think you can just walk away? You almost killed a man.”
The metallic woman stopped and turned to him again. “Any perceived violence against this body and these two will result in an expedited execution.” Her voice was cold and emotionless, like her face. “After analyzing your physical capacity, you and all your conspirators will be dead in one point seven-six seconds.”
The color drained from his face as his spear tip dropped to the ground. Not-Rina returned to strolling out into the street.
Shadara was the first to move, and as soon as they were back on the street, she forcefully turned the robotic acting woman to face her. “Who are you? You look like Rina, but you’re not acting like her. What did you do to her?”
“Again, there is a lot to explain.” She stared ahead without any emotion. “Rina is safe; do not panic. But right now, she is preoccupied, and I am stewarding her body in her stead. You may call me Orange. That is the name Rina gave me. It is interesting to finally meet you.”
Killa and Shadara’s jaws dropped open.