Culson, the pudgy elf walked in and closed the door. His lecherous grin was wider than before. “Rina was it? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a human.” He wrung his hands together. “My, you are pretty. So young too.”

  He remembered me and came to me. This…this has never happened before. And I don’t think I like where this is going.

  I wanted to gag. “Thanks. I guess. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was just about to head out.”

  Culson moved to the door, blocking the only exit. “Oh, but I’ve only just gotten here.” He took a step forward. “You know, I’m a simple man. I love women, and you are very beautiful.” He stepped forward again.

  Yeah, I definitely don’t like this. I’d rather be forgotten right now.

  “Back off!” I brandished my new dagger at him.

  He held up his hands. “No need for violence. You’re new, and you need money. I can help you with both.”

  I tightened my grip on my dagger. “I don’t want your help.”

  He wagged his finger. “You won’t get far without money. It doesn’t matter what you want. If you don’t have money, you don’t get anything. That’s how it is in the Soul Nexus. Everyone has to do things they don’t like. It’s all about survival.”

  Such thinking is heavily flawed. We do not recommend this course of action.

  Thanks Orange, but I’m already not letting him do it.

  I took a step back. My eyes darted for another escape route. The only other option past him was the window, which was shut tight and I couldn’t see how to open in the first place. “I can survive without your help. I’ve done it before. Now get away from me.”

  He shook his head. “I’m offering only a simple exchange.” He took another step closer. “Let’s just make this easy. No one needs to get hurt.” He grabbed his crotch. “You do this one thing for me, and I’ll pay you well for it. The two thousand shards Layith paid for your room can be yours, all you have to do is…”

  “No!” I didn’t want him to finish that sentence. I tried to keep the distance between us as he kept getting closer, but he was attempting to corner me.

  This elf’s persistence is problematic.

  Orange, shut up! If you aren’t going to say something important, just shut up. I don’t need you to state the obvious.

  His voice was getting more sinister as he spoke. “Just put that blade down and let me show you a good time. I’ll make sure you get plenty of pleasure, too.”

  I took another step back. My back hit the wall. Culson was just a few feet from me.

  I won’t let him touch me. I held the dagger in front of me with both hands, ready to stab him with it. He was just out of reach. I’ll have to slash at him and make a run for the door.

  Culson’s face was now red as he was breathing heavily. He had one hand on his pants and was fiddling with the laces.

  “I said no!” I lunged forward, swinging the dagger wildly.

  Culson’s eyes went wide as the dagger missed him by inches. He took a couple of steps back. He pulled out a gun from behind his back. “We’re doing this the hard way then?” He leveled the pistol at me.

  I took a deep breath and steadied my hand. “Let me go.”

  “Do you know how hard it is to find a human? Especially one as pretty as you?” Culson licked his lips. “It would be such a waste to kill you. Now, why don’t you just drop that knife and get over here so you can service me. You might even enjoy it.”

  I clenched my teeth, my heart raced. There was no way I’m letting this disgusting elf have his way with me. “I’ll never let you touch me, you sick pervert.”

  Culson’s grin faltered for a moment, replaced by a look of irritation. He shifted his weight, his hand still clutching the gun. “You think you can defy me, little girl? I can make your life a living hell if you don’t play nice.”

  I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I screamed, “You’re nothing but a pathetic pedophile.”

  Why is nobody running to help? Haven’t we made enough noise to wake anyone else up?

  We have a hypothesis: the other residents of the building do not care.

  Not helping, Orange.

  Culson’s face contorted with rage. He shook the gun in my direction. “There are only three ways this ends: you’re dead; you’re alive and paid; or you’re my personal sex slave,” the maliciousness in his voice oozed.

  My mind raced. I could barely think straight. My eyes darted between his chest and face. He was breathing heavily as his eyes were focused on me. I could see the anger in his eyes.

  We suggest you use lethal force to defend yourself. The damage from the elf’s weapon is recoverable.

  That’s right. My wounds can heal. These nanites gave me some kind of super regeneration.

  Culson’s eyes darted between my face and the dagger in my hands. I could feel my grip on the knife tightening. His hand was still clutching the gun, but his hands were starting to shake. He took another step forward while raising his other hand.

  “I said, don’t touch me,” I repeated.

  Culson’s lips curled into a sneer. “You’re making a mistake, girl.”

  He lunged at me, his free hand reaching out to grab me. In a split second, I ducked under, swinging the dagger with all my might. The blade sliced up and into his groin. Culson howled in pain, his hands bolting to clutch his bleeding crotch.

  Seizing the opportunity, I bolted for the door. But before I could reach it, something stabbed me in the back. I fell into the door and slid down it as I writhed in pain.

  When I rolled onto my back, I saw Culson struggling to his knees, still holding his bleeding groin but with the gun aimed at me. “If that leaves permanent damage…”

  He fired the gun, but there was no pop. Just a whizzing sound and my stomach exploded in pain. I looked down and saw a bullet hole just below my ribs. Then I could feel something moving inside as the itching blended with the pain. I couldn’t help but stare as a small rock popped out of the wound as it closed up. My stomach growled as the little rock bounced against the floor, disrupting the silence.

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  “What in the Nexus are you?” the elf man whispered.

  I can heal, but I still feel pain.

  We suggest the host use lethal force against the elf.

  Another bullet hit me just below the collarbone. The impact caused me to writhe backwards. I could feel blood filling my lungs as it became harder to breathe. My hand instinctively covered the wound, but I could feel something moving inside me, inside the wound.

  Then he shot me again. This time, he hit my heart. Four more shots followed in rapid succession. All of them hit me in the torso in various places. Each one fired, shook my body, and wracked me with pain. I flopped to the ground, blood pouring from six wounds in my chest.

  The pain is too much. Why did I think I could fight him?

  Pain is temporary. We suggest the host perform aggressive action. The current state of the engagement is counterproductive for the host.

  Tears filled my eyes as my head started getting foggy as I felt myself suffocating. My lungs were quickly filling with blood, and my heart was stopping. But all of that paled compared to the crippling pain burning through my body. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t.

  All I could do was stare; stare at my assailant.

  But I never lost consciousness. Please, just let me die. I don’t want to feel the pain anymore. Just let it end!

  We refuse to permit the host from ceasing function. If the host ceases to function, so do we. Doing so means we have failed our directive.

  Instead of dying, a stone bullet popped out of my chest and hit the ground. Then another one. And another. All six bullets eventually rested on the ground, covered in my blood. Shortly after, I could feel my heart beating faster than ever. Which I followed by screaming from the pain that still overwhelmed everything. I clutched at the wounds as I fell into the fetal position. The unusual gnawing at my stomach that started to match the pain I felt.

  This was a mistake. I should never have come here. I was never ready for this.

  The host passed the test put forth by the being designated as Mr. Black. The host must perform as they did during the previously mentioned test.

  Culson’s footsteps approached me as I continued screaming and crying. “How are you still alive?”

  A weak whimper left my lips.

  “I told you what would happen, but you still fought back anyway. I can’t let people think I’ve gone soft.” Culson opened the handle of his gun. He pulled out a rock and pushed it into the handle. The rock seemed to shift and be swallowed up by the weapon. “You should’ve just done what I asked.”

  I don’t want to die.

  What will the host do about it?

  He pointed the gun back at me.

  Something in my mind seemed to shift. If he won’t let me live, then I will kill him!

  In a burst of adrenaline, I scooped up the dagger and stabbed the elf in his engorged belly. A heavy fist collided with my face. My dagger opened the wound wider as I fell back to the ground.

  He clutched the wound with one hand, blood leaked past his fingers. “You stubborn crone.”

  The barrel of his gun raised up to my chest again. Culson was looking a lot paler and his hands were shaking.

  “You…Should…Have…Just…Submitted…To…Me…You…Wench!” He punctuated each word with a bullet fired at me.

  Each shot felt like another burning explosion of pain. One bullet hit my jaw. Another one pierced through my throat, while my collarbone was snapped in two by a third. Three holes bled from my chest. The last two bullets were embedded in my arm as they covered my head.

  It was hard to breathe. Pain filled my mind, and I couldn’t move my arm. I can’t take this pain anymore. I won’t!

  Warning. The host has suffered excessive damage. Critical levels of calories reached. The host must consume calories at the first possible moment. To increase the host’s chances of survival, we will conserve the host’s energy by limiting interactions. The host can survive this.

  I couldn’t think of a response before a figure burst into the room. The newcomer paused and drew a sword.

  “Am I interrupting something?” The shaylip’s voice was quite a bit gruffer than Layith’s. Also, his face seemed more angular as he nodded towards the elf.

  His yellow eyes wandered between Culson and me. Not drawing any of the other three swords from his back, he blocked the door with one foot. He was wearing what looked like a trench coat, with sections covered in small overlapping plates.

  Culson grit his teeth. “Just stay out of this, Bark.” His voice was getting horse and there wasn’t any bravado behind it.

  With an amused look, he focused on Culson. “Taking advantage of yet another helpless woman?” He then pointed to the blood dripping from my dagger and the wound in Culson’s nether region and stomach. “Well, as it appears, not so helpless.”

  My mouth salivated as my head started pounding from the hunger growing in me.

  Bark smiled as he pointed his sword in Culson’s direction. “So, did she not like your offer or were you being a jerk again? If I recall correctly, you had to leave a brothel when you got caught doing the same thing four days ago.”

  “The girl stabbed me,” the elf said. “It’s self-defense at this point.”

  I scooped up my dagger again. “He tried to rape me! Then he shot me!” My stomach burned and attempted to eat me from the inside out.

  “Is that so?” Bark asked, looking over at Culson, his legs were shaking at that point. He turned back to me. His eyes scanned me from head to toe. “You don’t look too good. How are you still alive?”

  “She’s a freak, that’s what,” Culson wheezed. “My bullets keep popping out of her.”

  I could hear a soft from Bark chuckle. “Interesting.”

  The bullets pushed out of me just in time for Bark to watch.

  Culson was about to speak, but Bark held up his hand. “Put that away before you hurt yourself. She’s coming with me.”

  Culson’s knuckles turned white. “Oh, no you don’t. She’s mine.”

  I stood up and held my dagger tightly as I watched Culson attempt to keep his gun trained on me. I’ve got to get that thing out of his hands. One more bullet, that’s all I’ve got to take. It’s going to hurt, but it’s better than the alternative.

  The moment Culson turned his attention away from me towards Bark, I reached out and grabbed the top of the gun. He pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. I stabbed at his wrist and the hand holding the gun went limp, allowing me to pull it away effortlessly.

  “She’s got spunk, that’s for sure,” Bark commented.

  The elf snarled as he grabbed his wounded wrist. Blood dripped onto the floor at an alarming rate.

  Bark took a step forward. “You really should stop. She isn’t worth the trouble anymore. Also, if I were you, I’d go and get that taken care of before you bleed out.”

  I backed up, my hand shaking as I held the gun. I didn’t dare turn around as the elf ran off, leaving a trail of blood.

  Did I do it? I survived didn’t I?

  The shaylip turned to face me. “Not bad. You okay?”

  With Culson gone, a sudden wave of weakness washed over me, leaving me shivering despite the pounding of my heart against my chest. For some reason, my stomach decided to growl at the same time.

  “No,” I muttered, shaking. “Need… food…”

  I dropped to my knees, feeling sick and light-headed. The pain was gone, but I couldn’t help but feel where each bullet pierced my body. The smell of blood didn’t help with my nausea.

  I dropped the gun. It landed next to the bloody stone bullets. The corners of my mind darkened as I fell face first into the floor and blacked out.

  *****

  Bark tilted his head at the sight of the human lying on the ground. He pursed his lips as he looked her over for wounds.

  “There aren’t any,” he thought out loud.

  The girl was littered with bullet wounds and there was blood around them. That meant the girl had a way of healing herself. Bark noted the lack of scaring too.

  The human went from interesting to mysterious. It was a mystery he needed to solve. Her level of healing would be exceedingly useful while climbing the Nexus. He already secured an infinite source of food, and if he could get an infinite source of healing…

  “I would have no problem climbing.” Bark tapped his chin with one hand as he looked at the dagger and gun, recognizing where the dagger came from immediately. “Layith, you’ve found me exactly what I need. I’ll repay you one day. I’ll get all of us out of this forsaken hell one day. I don’t care what it takes.”

  Bark scooped up the weapons and the human girl. Her breathing was weak and she was unconscious. At first he believed she had spent all her mana healing herself, but her last words asking for food threw him off.

  Killa would be able to tell him more. She understood human anatomy much better than him. She liked walking around like one after all.

  If she didn’t use mana to heal herself, and humans don’t normally have such a potent regeneration, Bark knew she had to receive that power from somewhere. All he needed to do was get that information from her. Which meant he had to play knight in shining armor for her.

  It wasn’t a big deal. He liked being the good guy, because the good guys always win. And that was the one thing he hated more than anything; losing.

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