A massive bang resounded from beyond the heavy door. I flinched as I looked around the room. Is he alright? Adbeck returned shortly afterwards, a black box in his hands. He placed it on the counter and used his finger as a key to open it with a heavy click.

  Adbeck handed me the gun. The weight surprised me. The obsidian-like metal was glossy and covered in engravings of various shapes that meant nothing to me. I balanced it between my hands. It’s heavier than I would like, but a few levels will fix that.

  “That, girl, is my masterpiece.” Adbeck took the weapon back. “You can load it with anything, and I do mean anything.”

  With a flourish, he popped out the six chambers and then pulled a piece of leather out of a pocket. The dwarf stuffed it into a chamber and turned it before doing the same with a piece of coal, a chunk of iron, some wood shavings, a cotton ball, and even his own spit.

  He closed the gun and held it up. “No matter what you fill it with, it’ll have the same punching power.”

  I held out my hand. “Alright, let me see.”

  He spun it to the chamber he filled with his spit. The dwarf handed it to me, handle first. Slowly I aimed the barrel at my hand and braced myself for the inevitable pain.

  A thunderous crack filled the forge as the gun discharged, and the projectile struck my hand, puncturing a hole clean through and into the floor. A moment of disbelief hung in the air before pain surged through me, and crimson blood flowed from the hole. The sharp pain forced me to drop the gun, bend over, and cradle my hand.

  Okay, yeah. That’s the one. That hurt.

  The nanites buzzed, and the tingling started immediately. The pain subsided as the muscle and bone knitted together, leaving me with only a throbbing reminder. Then Adbeck’s eyes bulged out of their sockets as the punctured metal shifted and filled the hole.

  “The metal moved? What kind of magic is this?” His eyes never left my hand.

  I shook my hand to dispel the itching feeling of the nanites. “It’s not magic; it’s something else.” My voice trailed off. “It’s something unique to me. You won’t find it anywhere else. And I can’t give it to anyone else.”

  With a thoughtful nod, the dwarf unloaded all but one piece of ammunition from the revolver. Each piece of material had become a small metal pellet. He handed the gun loaded with the single remaining projectile to me.

  “Now, girl, give it a real shot. Shoot that pail against the wall there.” He gestured towards a pail on the far side of the room. “Let’s see how it feels in your hand. I’m not about to sell you something you can’t handle.”

  I eyed him suspiciously. The other guns had no recoil. This one will take some getting used to, with only six shots before reloading. My mana was lower than I remember, but with each set of guns he gave me, the usage had gone up. But half of my mana? That seems a little lower than it should.

  I used both hands to steady the weapon as I pulled the trigger. There wasn’t really a kick upwards, but I could feel it push into me. The pail didn’t stand a chance, and a hole punctured through the wall behind it. Because of the pain before, I didn’t notice the drain on my mana. My mana regenerated decently but what each shot took caught me by surprise. A quarter of my mana disappeared instantly. I shuddered at the substantial mana drain.

  Adbeck smiled and clapped his hands. “So?”

  I took a slow steady breath as I put the weapon on the counter. “Well, it’s a lot. But I feel like I’m going to need a lot. It won’t take me long to grow into it.”

  The dwarf rubbed his hands together. “That’s a good sign. Now, shall we discuss price?”

  Right, salesman. “How much are we talking?”

  The dwarf tapped his fingertips together and grinned even wider. “For my masterpiece? I couldn’t let it go for anything less than one hundred and seventy-five thousand.”

  I pursed my lips. That’s a lot more than I was expecting. Nineteen thousand isn’t going to cut it. “That’s a bit more than I can afford right now. Is there anything else we can agree on?”

  There was a slight twitch in his eye. “Unless you’re going to give me something really nice, you can forget it.”

  All I’ve got is Killa’s bag, and I doubt that it’ll cover that kind of cost. And I’m not about to sell it either. Oh, that’s right, I’ve got all those monster cores. He might want those.

  I began pulling out the massive collection of monster cores from Killa’s bag that we collected from all the spiders. “How about this? How much will this cover?”

  He eyed the pile. “It’s a lot of scrap you got there. Most of this isn’t much use, but it’ll be a good start.” Then he picked up the core from the deviant. His eyes went wide as he held it up to the ceiling. “This—this is worth something. It’ll put a dent in what you owe. I’ll still need another hundred thousand.”

  I waved to the other cores. “And what if you take all of the cores?”

  He barely looked away from the core between his fingers. “I was already counting those into the price. Monster cores like those aren’t exactly a rare commodity. We’re talking about my life’s work. I’m being more than reasonable with my price. Now if you can’t show that you’ve got some more like this, you’ll have to settle for one of the other models that wouldn’t pierce your skin.”

  “Wait, skin!” I pointed at the dwarf, who was very clearly confused. “One second.” Orange, can the metal on my arms be smelted down?

  If the host were to find a way to remove the skin, yes.

  I analyzed my arm blade augment.

  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.

  “How much metal from my arms would you trade for the gun?” There was a twinkle in his eye. I raised my arm blade. “This has a bone through it, but you could easily extract it. If we can break it off, I can grow it back.” Orange, will that hurt?

  Absolutely.

  The dwarf crossed his arms and cupped his chin. “Maybe if you could give me four times that amount, we’ll be in business.”

  I checked my energy levels. Two and two-thirds might not be enough. “If I could get some food, then I’ll be able to do it. Do you have something that’ll be able to do it?”

  Adbeck laughed. “Girl, you truly surrendered your sanity. I’ve never heard of anything like this in all my life. But I’ve got a few meal potions, if that’ll be enough for you. But yeah, I’ve got something that’ll snap that blade off.” He extended a hand. “I’ll need a fifth piece if you want the potion. Are you certain you want to do that?”

  “Yeah.” I shook his hand.

  A little pain for a very powerful item. Am I turning into a masochist? No, this isn’t something I enjoy. I’m just taking advantage of everything I have at my disposal.

  This is inflicting a lot of damage on yourself.

  I need a new gun and this one is powerful enough to guarantee that it will kill whatever I shoot at. That deviant spider’s carapace was too tough for my last gun. If I have that same problem again, I won’t have anyone else to help. Since I’m not hurting anyone else, this is fine.

  As you wish.

  The dwarf shrugged. “Follow me, girl. I hope you don’t panic halfway through.” He headed towards the forge but pulled out a green potion. “Here, did you need some water to thin it out?”

  I grabbed it. “Nope.” I chugged the potion.

  The dwarf laughed as he hung his head. “Girl, you are making me question my sanity.”

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  And we haven’t even gotten to the really crazy part yet. “Before we start, can you give me some collateral?”

  Adbeck blinked several times. “Collateral? I just gave you a meal potion. Shouldn’t that be collateral enough?”

  I held up my arm blade. “You’re about to snape this thing off several times. My end has a lot more consequences to it.”

  He crossed his arms. “You just arrived on this floor, didn’t you? Those shaylips really did a number on you, didn’t they?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  The dwarf waved his hand to the storefront. “This floor is different than the last. The rules are different here. If we played by the rules on the last floor, none of this would happen. On this floor we’re doing our best to continue to survive. We’ve lasted on this floor as long as we have because of this fortress of a town and trusting each other. Stabbing each other is a giant waste of time and resources.”

  What the dwarf says has credence. The dragonkin mentioned that he was looking for an ally in you. There is only one threat, the bav’varst, if the dragonkin was truthful—there is no evidence that he wasn’t. If this entire town has to unite against a swarming threat, only those that work together will continue to survive, culling the untrustworthy individuals.

  Are you telling me to trust him?

  Not entirely. Unless he has a way to hide them magically, he has no weapon on him. In the worst case scenario, your quickness is high enough that you’d escape from him with little to no difficulty. He is of little threat to you.

  You try to talk me out of doing this, then try to talk me into it. What are you doing?

  We are simply stating facts. The choice is ultimately yours to make. You should be making the most informed decision you can.

  You haven’t lied to me yet—although I don’t think you’re capable of lying mostly because you never want to. But I still don’t like it.

  The dwarf gains too little by killing you. If he captures you, he’ll have to take care of you and build a prison to hold you. It would cost him more to keep you prisoner than he would gain for it.

  Are you calling me expensive? Well, I guess now I am. Me, a poor girl off the streets, can literally eat someone out of house and home to the point of not being worth kidnapping. Somehow That almost feels like an insult.

  That was not our intent. We were simply stating facts.

  Adbeck must’ve seen my hesitation. “Look, you still don’t trust me?” I shook my head. He sighed. “Fine.”

  He reached down under the counter and pulled out a stone. In his hand was a small oval piece of perfectly smooth obsidian. “I’m willing to make a contract.” His voice droned as if he was reciting something.

  The stone floated up as the ground shifted into a small clay doll-looking thing and rested in its forehead. A simple face of impressed clay with nothing more than eyes and a mouth turned to look at Adbeck. “You wish to make a contract. What are you offering?” Its voice was slow and gravally.

  Adbeck held up his hand. “I’m not seeking a contract with the Soul Nexus. I simply wish for you to be an intermediary in this contract.” He motioned towards me. “This human woman wishes to bargain with me for a weapon. I’m willing to trade it for five portions of her metal blade on her arm. Please include the standard trade clauses.”

  The golem turned to me. “Are the terms acceptable?”

  Orange, what am I looking at?

  You are looking at a clay golem. This one seems to be a conduit for the Soul Nexus. He has something exceedingly rare. We do not know how he received such a relic, but it would be wise not to ask.

  So? What’s happening?

  The golem is asking for your terms of the contract. This method of contract mediated through the Soul Nexus’s conduit are binding. Any terms you set will be fulfilled to the letter.

  I pursed my lips. “If I say that I want it so that if he kills me or takes more than five pieces his life is also forfeit, will it be?”

  “Addendum added,” the golem said coldly. “Are the terms acceptable?”

  I nodded. “If he agrees to that, then yes.”

  “State your full name.”

  “Rina Lone,” I responded.

  It turned to Adbeck. “Are the terms and addendum acceptable?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Girl, you really need to get your trust issues sorted.” He relaxed. “Yes, the terms are acceptable.”

  “Contract created.” The golem began to recite, “If Rina Lone provides Adbeck Hellstone with the agreed upon five sections of metal from her arm, Adbeck Hellstone will complete the transaction by providing Rina Lone with the agreed upon weapon. If Rina Lone is killed by or Adbeck Hellstone takes more than the agreed amount, his life and soul is forfeited to the Soul Nexus. If Rina Lone fails to provide the amount agreed upon, her claims to the weapon are forfeit as are any and all previously provided portions of payment. To sign the contract, please state your full name.”

  Is it safe?

  Yes.

  Since you said this is safe, I’ll do it.

  “Rina Lone.”

  Adbeck Hellstone.”

  “Contract signed.” The golem crumbled to dust as the stone gently drifted to Adbeck’s waiting hand.

  That means he walks in front. “Lead the way.” I waved my hand towards the forge.

  If I thought the storefront was hot, the forge made that feel like a cool winter breeze. My clothes were beyond soaked, and I would’ve left a trail of sweat overflowing from my boots if it hadn’t instantly evaporated the moment it was exposed to the air. There were shelves and racks full of tools I had no idea existed, needed to exist, or should exist.

  Is he going to torture me? This looks like a torturer’s chamber, not a blacksmith’s. Although, I don’t actually know what a smith should look like.

  There is no fear of torture since you have signed the contract to guarantee your safety. Those are highly specific tools. If you want, we could tell you what they’re used for.

  You’re asking first? Wow. That’s a good step forward in being personable. But no. That information is not important.

  A trio of anvils awaited us in the center of the room. One was bright red, another a dull gray, and the third was pitch black. As we walked, my HUD kept flashing a warning about excessive heat.

  “So, girl, how did you just drink an entire meal potion without flinching? And why so much food? That was six times more than a normal person should eat.” Adbeck stopped by the red anvil.

  I looked up and saw an equally red cylinder ready to drop down like a press upon the anvil. “Well, as you witnessed, I have an effective regeneration. Since you can’t create something from nothing, the more it has to create, the more calories I need.”

  Adbeck scratched his chin. “Understandable, but it sounds mighty expensive.”

  “Don’t get me started.”

  “But it looks like you’ve found ways to use it to be more lucrative for you.” He gave me a wink. Then he pushed the red anvil towards me as he looked upwards at the press. He shoved the anvil a little again before looking back at me. “Alright, that should do it. Now, are you sure this is okay with you?”

  I nodded. “This’ll hurt, I know. But I need that weapon.”

  Adbeck bit his lip as he pushed down and made a groove through the center of the anvil. “Just place your arm in the grove when you’re ready, girl.” He gave me another worried look. “Are you wanting something to bite down on? I can get you a leather strap.”

  I waved my hand. “No thanks. Now let’s get this over before I come to my senses.”

  I placed my arm in the grove, and my blade extended off the edge. He’s really going to break it off. This is the most insane thing I’ve ever done.

  It does have a questionable methodology. However, it is practical and efficient.

  Adbeck stood by a pedal that he then stomped on. The cylinder shot down and snapped my arm blade off.

  There was a moment of apprehension as I saw the metal and exposed bone bouncing on the floor. Then the pain hit. I arched my back and wailed as I pulled my arm back to me. Orange, fix it. Fix it now! Tears attempted to flow, but they didn’t survive the heat.

  The pain drowned out the usual tingling of the nanites working. Faster than I expected, the bone grew back out, and the metal formed around it. One down, four to go. I put my arm back on the anvil and nodded.

  The dwarf nodded and stomped on the pedal again. The same thing happened. However, the pain escalated. I doubled over while cradling my arm. The roar of the furnace drowned out my whimpering and evaporated my tears.

  My arm was on fire, and even after I finished regenerating, it still burned. My energy was sitting at a little more than one and a half bars.

  Am I going to have enough?

  Yes. But we do not recommend leaving the city without consuming more calories.

  I pulled myself up to the anvil and placed my arm in the grove for the third time.

  Adbeck shook his head. “Are you sure you gonna be alright?”

  “Do it.” With all the screaming, I expected my throat to be more raw than it was. But maybe the nanites were healing that too. Hurray for me.

  He threw his hands into the air. “You are a stubborn one.” He stomped on the pedal for the second time.

  There wasn't any more pain. And yet, the world around me swirled into darkness. It felt like I was falling, but I couldn't tell if I was moving or not. I didn’t even hear the blade hit the ground. Then it stopped, and I could feel the hot stone floor.

  The dwarf knelt next to me and shook my shoulder. “Girl, you alright?”

  I groaned as my eyes fluttered open. “No… But two more times… We can't stop now.”

  I sat up slowly and used my left hand to push me up. Everything was sore. But it was nothing compared to seeing Killa's frozen statue of a body.

  We can't dull the pain.

  I'm well aware.

  The dark dwarf shook his head as he walked back to his pedal. “Alright, but you better stay conscious, or else I'm calling this off.”

  I gave a slight nod as I placed my arm on the anvil. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I took another deep breath as I braced myself for the fourth time. The press came down, and I held in a scream as I clenched my teeth.

  There was a crack. Everything grew quiet. And then pain exploded through me as I doubled over in agony. My muscles spasmed, and I convulsed as my vision grew red. Everything was a blur. I hung onto the anvil like a liferaft. My armblade regrew and I kept still as my entire body tensed up.

  Adbeck's face twisted in disbelief. “Girl, how much are you planning to torture yourself?”

  I glared at him. “You would be surprised. Besides, it'll grow back.” I didn’t close my eyes again. “Do it.”

  “I really shouldn’t. This doesn’t feel right.”

  My entire body went rigid. “Finish it!”

  The dwarf turned away and stepped away from the pedal. “I can’t. Is this gun that important to you?”

  My jaw remained tense as I replied, “I need my wish and that gun will get me to the top. More than my life is on the line.”

  He turned back. “Then it’s yours. Anyone who comes to the Nexus fighting for someone else’s life doesn’t deserve this. I have an acceptable amount. Consider the fifth portion paid.”

  A rush of relief flooded through me so hard that my vision faded to black and my consciousness slipped from me.

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