The Nexus is the "center" of this game. No matter where you go out to, you return back to the Nexus to heal, to buy more items, to store any excess weapons you've gathered, and so on. You auto heal in the Nexus. You can also build up your stats once the Black Maiden returns from her little jaunt.

If you survive a level, you come back alive. If you die, you come back as a ghost. You stay a ghost until you kill the next mini-boss (or by using a special magic item to get alive again). Really the main difference in being a ghost is that you have slightly reduced health.

When you get here for the first time - after the tutorial level - go around and talk to everyone. Get a feel for who they are. The available stones are:

archstone of the small king

archstone of the burrow king

archstone of the tower queen

(broken one)

archstone of the shadowman (missing a stone)

archstone of the chieftain

Eventually, when you are set and ready for some more fighting, walk up the stairs to the left to the very first archstone. This is the Archstone of the Small King. There will only be one "destination" in this set open for you to begin with. Choose it and go on in!

The Black Maiden will be there once you kill your first mini-boss in the Small King level.

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