Soul Nexus: A Fantasy Tower Ascension LitRPG

Killa continued to eat, and Shadara took the time to snack too. After looking at my energy, I decided that I could eat too. There was only one option for me: giant cat corpses. I cut up a tiger while skinning it. My manufactured dragon teeth tore through the meat like they were made for it.

They kind of are. And I’m not sure how I feel about most of a twelve-foot-long tiger only raising my energy a hundred and thirty percent. The meat was kind of stringy, but it tasted nice. Three hundred and fifty percent energy will have to hold up for the fight or two.

After Shadara recovered and Killa cleaned us up, we headed further into the dungeon. My sisters had lots of levels to catch up on. There was a trail of blood through the cavern. We came up on the cheetah that bled to death after it fled.

It died in the hallway before it made it to the next room. No, that wasn’t right. The time it took us to get to it was shorter than the time it took for it to die. I looked in the room while Shadara and Killa analyzed the corpse. Mixed amongst the glowing crystals were partial skeletons of large cats.

I turned back to the dead cheetah. It had its back to the room with the bones.

“It was scared,” I muttered.

Shadara took another lap around it. “Yeah. Something scared it, and whatever it is, is—was—in that room.”

Killa frowned. “What could be hunting these normally predatory animals? Is there a chance that it’s in there right now?”

I dropped my voice to a whisper. “I’ll go first and draw it out. You two jump in afterwards.”

Shadara and Killa nodded.

I took a few steps into the room and scanned the space. The walls were jagged and uneven. There were plenty of places for something to hide. I stepped forward, taking one step at a time.

A clattering of bones had me twisting around. But all I saw was an empty skull rolling across the floor. I kept walking, keeping my arms up and ready.

From the corner of my vision, I noticed a bone fragment moving towards me. I raised my leg, ready to stomp on it. It was just a rolling bone. There was this heavy breathing, almost snoring.

I turned around again. A few bones rose in the air and crashed into the wall next to me.

That clattering of bones was much louder this time. It came from directly below me. The whole floor collapsed. I landed on my back, looking up at a ceiling of bones. I stood up as the bones fell off me.

Then I turned around. A wall of smoke billowed around me. The air got suddenly really hot as an orange light illuminated from the center of the smoke. From the smoke, a two-headed dog with black fur and red eyes lumbered towards me. It stood at a whopping fifteen feet at the shoulder.

It’s a hellhound.

What’s a hellhound?

A hellhound is a supernatural canine, often associated with the underworld or demonic realms. They are typically large, black-furred beasts with glowing red eyes and are known for their incredible strength, speed, and ferocity. Hellhounds are usually depicted with multiple heads, like Cerberus, the guardian of some underworlds. Their presence is often accompanied by flames or smoke, and they are notorious for being nearly impervious to conventional attacks. Their claws and teeth are capable of rending even the toughest armor, and their fire breath can incinerate most materials. Extreme caution is advised when encountering one.

Is that all?

The hellhound’s eyes locked onto me, and I could feel the heat radiating from its body. I glanced around, assessing any possible options. The room was filled with bones, offering little cover or advantage.

I took a deep breath as I took a couple of steps away from the dangerous canine. Alright, Orange, any weaknesses I should know about?

Hellhounds are vulnerable to powerful magic and enchanted weapons. Attacks targeting their eyes or throats can be effective, but their resilience means it will take significant force. Fire-based abilities will be ineffective against them. With two heads, removing one will weaken it, but not kill it.

So two heads are better than one. I infused my arms with my shadow magic after hearing Orange’s advice.

The hellhound growled a deep, rumbling sound that vibrated through the bones on the floor. It lunged at me, both heads snapping their jaws. I rolled to the side, extending my stinger arms to strike at one of the heads. The hellhound snarled as the stinger barely penetrated its thick shoulder.

My eyes flicked to Shadara and Killa, who were just beyond the smoke climbing down. I have to keep its attention on me.

I slashed at the hellhound again, this time aiming for its eyes. The canine dodged the attack, then snapped its jaws at me again. I danced around it, trying to keep its attention on me. Its two heads followed me, trying to get a bite in, but I stayed just out of reach.

The hellhound’s eyes glowed brighter, and it opened its mouths, spewing flames toward me. The intensity of the flames forced me to beat a hasty retreat. My metal skin protected me from the worst of the heat, but I still felt it. The flames burned hotter the longer they lasted. My computer brain calculated that the flame’s temperature was roughly four thousand seven hundred degrees Fahrenheit.

The hellhound charged at me, its massive paws crashing through the bone piles. I ducked under its teeth and struck at its chest with my blades, digging deep. The hellhound flinched but didn’t slow its attack. I had to withdraw my blades and flick the blood off them.

Its blood was boiling hot. The edges of my arm blades had melted only slightly.

Shadara landed on its back. Her hands transformed into long, serrated talons.

“Watch its blood; it will burn you!” I shouted.

Three blue tentacles slapped the hellhound’s face from Killa. “Good to know, sis!”

I tried to keep one eye on my sisters while staying out of the hound’s path. Shadara clawed at its back, drawing more blood, while Killa kept its attention with her tentacle blasts.

It was like trying to fight a moving wall. The hellhound was enormous, and it had two heads thrashing about. It was hard to get a clean shot at its throat or eyes.

My sister’s claws slashed and tore at its hide, drawing more blood, but it wasn’t enough to slow it down. The hellhound rolled over, attempting to crush Shadara. She hopped off into a roll. I could see the smoldering fur on her arms where the creature’s blood splashed her.

The hellhound turned its attention to me, snarling and baring its teeth. It rushed at me, and I narrowly avoided its snapping jaws. I slashed at its face, leaving a huge gouge across its face. The hellhound snapped its jaws from the second head, but I was already long gone.

Killa created a large green tentacle and wrapped it into a massive fist, slamming it into the hellhound’s heads. The blow resounded throughout the cavern, but it looked untouched. The hellhound roared, turning its attention to Killa.

Killa surged forward, unleashing a barrage of yellow tentacles that wrapped around the hellhound’s legs. The beast roared in anger, struggling against the binding tendrils. Shadara followed, her fur was replaced with black scales. Her tail was much more lizard-like, with a wickedly barbed tip.

She ran up the hellhound’s back and thrust her talons deep into its neck. The hellhound roared in pain, bucking and thrashing. Then Shadara spun around and used the barbed tip of her tail to open the wound further.

The hellhound’s two heads lunged at Shadara, its teeth clamping onto her arm. She screamed as the hellhound threw her away. She hit the wall with a wet crack. Killa launched a purple tentacle at the hellhound’s eyes, but it swatted the magic away.

I zoomed my vision on Shadara. She was alive, but she was slowly pushing herself up.

No more.

I began letting the magic of my lycan form take shape.

“Don’t!” Shadara shouted with an extended hand. “We can do this.”

The hellhound charged at me again, its eyes glowing red. I sidestepped the charge and then unleashed a flurry of strikes with my blades. My arms opened several deep cuts, but the hellhound kept coming. I ducked under a swing of its paw, then slashed at its belly, drawing blood.

I rolled out from under it, my blades leaving deep gouges in its side. The hellhound growled a deep, guttural sound that shook the cavern.

I hope you know what you’re doing, Shadara.

Killa let loose another salvo of magical tentacles. The hellhound ignored them and charged at her. The slime woman barely dodged the hellhound’s jaws, but its back leg slammed into her, knocking her into a wall. She splattered against it, and the hellhound loomed over her, its jaws snapping at her.

Then a burst of light exploded from Killa, forcing the hellhound back. She got to her feet, her eyes glowing white, her hands glowing purple. A ring of green tentacles wrapped around the creature’s neck, while yellow tentacles bound its front legs. She threw her arms up, raised the hellhound into the air, and slammed it back onto the ground.

It broke through her tentacles, and both heads expelled rivers of flames. I sprinted and scooped Killa up before the flames could reach her. The flames licked at my coattails as the hellhound turned to keep up with me. It was relentless, chasing me around the room, spewing flames.

“Thanks,” Killa said.

I nodded, still running. The hellhound was fast, but I was much faster. I darted around the room, keeping the creature on its toes. Its eyes followed me, tracking my every move. It snapped its jaws, but I was always one step ahead of it.

Shadara ran up the hellhound’s back. Her talons dug deep into its hide. She slashed and tore at its flesh, drawing more blood. The blood started covering her, but I noticed it wasn’t burning her anymore. The hellhound stopped breathing fire and bucked wildly, trying to shake her off, but Shadara held on tight, targeting the beast’s neck with wild strikes.

After I placed Killa down, she resumed bombarding the hellhound with magic, focusing on its front legs and heads. I stayed back, letting them handle it. My eyes were glued to Shadara as I primed my muscles to take off. Her grip was loosening the harder the creature thrashed.

It finally dislodged Shadara.

I knew I had to act fast. With a burst of speed, I surged towards Shadara and caught her. Together, we tumbled to a safer distance, watching as Killa continued her relentless assault.

The hellhound, now weakened and bloodied, seemed to be losing its ferocity. It snapped its jaws at Killa, but she was always just out of reach. My sister continued her assault, blasting the hellhound with everything she had.

The hellhound took one last swipe at Killa, but it was too slow. The slime woman dodged effortlessly by folding her body around the paw as it passed through, then threw her hands up, creating a massive tentacle fist. The hellhound’s heads snapped back as the fist connected with its noses, knocking it to the ground.

The hellhound lay still, its chest rising and falling with each labored breath. One head was clearly unconscious, while the other stared blankly ahead. Killa raised one hand, creating a drill of blue tentacles. She pointed it at the hellhound’s heart, and it lunged forward, piercing its chest.

The hellhound let out one last whine before falling silent. I watched as the body disintegrated into black smoke and gore.

Shadara’s heart was pounding in her chest at an unhealthy rate, so I kept ahold of her. Killa’s body was starting to lose definition around the edges.

I turned to Shadara. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have put you in that situation.”

She shook her head and tried to smile. “I’m glad I could help you. And I’m glad it’s over.”

Killa stumbled over to us. “I think we got some good experience from that fight.”

I held Shadara close. “But how are you feeling?”

Shadara shrugged. “I’ll live.”

I whispered in her ear. “Don’t hide this. I can feel your heart rate. You need to rest now.” I placed her on the ground and turned to Killa. “That’s enough for one day. We’re leaving once Shadara’s had another rest.”

Killa nodded. “Yeah, this has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. The sphinx wasn’t kidding when it said things would get more difficult rapidly.” Then she pointed to Shadara. “Scales, that’s a new look for you.”

While her face couldn’t show it, I could tell Shadara was blushing. “It was the only way to resist the burning blood. It’s only temporary. Once we get this blood off me, I’ll return to normal. Fur is still way better than scales or skin.“

Killa smiled. “I’m glad you’re finally coming around. It’s okay to keep some things the same.”

“But for now, our priority is Shadara’s well-being.” I looked at her bleeding arm. “She needs time to recover. And I will make sure you get the rest you need.”

Shadara pulled out a regeneration potion and drank it. She let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, another fight like that will be too much. I’m too exhausted to keep going. And to be honest, sleeping in this dungeon is far more frightening with all these predators around.”

Killa slithered over, her legs melding into a single blob. “Yeah, I’m almost out of mana too. My battery is nearly depleted too. There’s no sense in me drinking mana potions if we’re leaving.”

Killa helped clean Shadara off. Shadara then reverted to her normal panther beast woman form.

I tilted my head. “Is it me, or does your fur look fuller—fluffier?”

Shadara ran her hands through her hair. Her claws didn’t catch on any knots. She smirked. “Maybe there’s a few perks to being able to transform one’s body. I’ll never have to worry about matted or mangy fur again. It takes so much work out of the maintenance. I should’ve done this a long time ago.“

Killa giggled. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

Shadara laid down and closed her eyes. Killa and I kept watch. I tried to keep my senses alert. There were two ways in and out of this room; the gaping hole above us and a tunnel the hellhound no doubt used. So there was a lot of sitting around while Killa made whimsical predictions of all the things Shadara would eventually be capable of.

A couple of hours later, Shadara was feeling good enough to move. Her wound had mostly healed. Lucky for her, nothing was broken. It turns out she couldn’t use her transformation to erase her wounds. We climbed our way up and out to go back the way we came, since we knew that was safe.

But as we entered the room with the entrance, or what should’ve been that room, we stared at a completely different room. The crystals covered every inch of the walls except for four doorways.

I turned to the other two. “Uh, this isn’t good. Did we take a wrong turn?”

Killa shook her head. “We couldn’t have. There were no turns to make.”

Shadara stared at each of the doorways. “What now?”

“I have no idea,” I said.