“What the fuck was that?” Shina demanded, her initial professional demeanor forgotten. She turned a dial on her watch, and Energy Instinct felt it release a pulse. The arcane signature reminded Nil of Lise’s magic. She ensured no one, probably nothing, could listen in on the conversation. “You were supposed to look out for her. What the fuck did you do, Nil?”
It was tempting to ...
2024-04-04 05:30:45 +0000 UTC View Post“You were fucking amazing!” Andrew exclaimed, rewinding the last few minutes of the battle royale and restarting from when Nil arrived at the arena’s heart. “You literally kicked his ass with your eyes closed! Brutal Battery has turned into a god damned machine!”
“Nil was amazing before he became a Summoned,” Susan said, pouring Nil a fresh glass of orange juice. She placed ...
2024-04-04 05:25:59 +0000 UTC View PostFatima’s little rampage had damaged, if not destroyed, most of the pouches and their contents. After some digging, Nil found a couple of bottles of water, a broken vial of healing serum, an intact bottle of energy drink, and, fortunately, a smidge of burn ointment. He slathered the stinky salve on his hands and drank the serum before packing the rest into a couple of pouches. As he worked, bu...
2024-04-03 04:56:00 +0000 UTC View PostAfter their mage fell, the enemy fighters had little chance. One was a knight whose hammer caused miniature explosions whenever it struck. The air rippled with every collision, and the sound echoed around them. Now that the barrier had ceased moving, Nil worried the sound would draw other teams, so he charged at the man while Xiang dealt with a kukri-wielding rogue. Blood streamed from her chee...
2024-04-03 04:55:25 +0000 UTC View Post“I think we're incentivized to collect enemy pouches,” Nil said, going through the stolen supplies. In addition to water, the pouch contained an energy drink—or a green concoction that smelled like one—a burn ointment, and a strange stone that flashed when squeezed. “I wonder if everyone got something different with water as a consistent element. Unless they used it already, Mr Scimit...
2024-04-02 17:46:19 +0000 UTC View Post“Ready?” Xiang asked, tightening her vambraces.
Golden Aegis partnered with several small companies, one of which was a small Artisan Firm that made armor for Iron and Bronze arena fighters. Xiang’s cuirass and boots were made of the same matte dark-brown material. All three pieces carried the same Spartan helmet emblem. She also wore navy blue tights, a shirt, and a hooded co...
2024-04-02 06:06:09 +0000 UTC View PostOne of the building’s armored guards interrupted Nil's training the third evening after their arrival, two days before the battle royale. He and the women had tired each other and parted ways to do their own thing. Nil could feel his Finesse on the verge of ascending and was in his third hour of dodging and catching darts.
“You have guests,” it said in a metallic, genderless voice. ...
2024-04-01 17:07:29 +0000 UTC View PostBy the evening of the event, the Oakheart estate’s gardens looked like a fairground from a fairy tale. A fire dancer family with generations-old, protected magic entertained the arriving guests with flying serpents, swooping dragons, and phoenixes. It was apparent to anyone with an inkling of arcane knowledge that the creatures weren’t summons but products of masterful Shaping and Manipulat...
2024-04-01 15:01:51 +0000 UTC View PostXiang proved almost as much a taskmaster as Isabella. She drilled with Fatima and sparred with Nil. Then after a break, swapped their roles and did more of the same. She wished to close the gaps in her martial ability as much as possible over the few days they had remaining.
When not drilling or sparring, Nil focused on training his Finesse across several different machines. Moving ...
2024-04-01 05:35:19 +0000 UTC View Post“The Scourge is forever growing stronger. They seek to indirectly create Dark Worlds so they can thrive, develop their armies, and go to war against realms that treasure life and freedom. Their numbers continue to grow while the Control Worlds lay static.
Control Worlds can’t compete in sheer army size, which is why they incepted Apocalypse Arena.
The...
2024-03-31 16:44:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe governmental benefit requirements allowed Nil to spend one night a week away from the ludus—when not on a quest. He spent the rest of his Saturday at Andrew’s place. The pair discussed Symbiotech, watched action films, and grilled steaks. It would take a while for his device to sync with their system. There was no telling whether it would succeed or how long it would take for him to con...
2024-03-31 05:25:56 +0000 UTC View PostSaturday morning involved more warm-ups on the running track and obstacle course. Nil could feel himself getting faster and more sure-footed. Finesse’s gifts weren’t as tangible as Might's bonuses. They showed more in practice than in physiological changes. However, Nil felt more flexible and limber than before. Fatima also claimed that he looked more toned and athletic than bulky. Nil didn...
2024-03-30 20:49:40 +0000 UTC View Post“Are you sure you want to do this?” Andrew asked. It was Friday evening, and even though Nil had a busy Saturday, he took a taxi to the scrap yard. It had been a while since he got quality one-on-one time with his friend. There were far too many topics they couldn’t discuss while Katherine and Susan were around. “You’d still be slumming it in the Pits if not for Symbiotech. Are you su...
2024-03-30 05:45:32 +0000 UTC View Post“I’ll keep my word,” Isabella said when Nil revealed his recent growth. “The wording on this event’s entry requirements is ambiguous. You need to be on the verge of Iron Realm for this qualifier, so there isn’t more than a quarter between qualifying and the first bout.”
“If I’m lucky, I’ll get the final rank in Absorb during the event,” Nil told her. It was the day a...
2024-03-29 17:26:57 +0000 UTC View Post“Is this the first time you’ve lost someone on a quest?” Lise asked.
The teleport dropped them off at the Fountain of Pyrene, and Nil used the maximum healing available to relieve all his aches and pains and repair the damaged nerves in his hands. Sensation returned to his fingertips immediately, and he looked the same as before the quest. In fact, he felt better than before. ...
2024-03-29 07:14:15 +0000 UTC View Post“Cultural and social ceremonies and rituals change drastically the further one moves from Ygg. The world tree's presence significantly reduces magic beasts, rifts, and dungeons in the immediate area. So people can afford to let their hair down and take their time to celebrate special occasions without fear of their festivities attracting creatures that will rip through the merrymakers at ...
2024-03-29 06:59:38 +0000 UTC View PostLise had warned the party about the guardians.
“Even though the thralls are devoted to their masters, vampires don’t trust anything besides their sires and sired, or anyone with any entity with a trace of humanity left in them. More than not, older or arcanically gifted vampires will forge entities out of corpses, remains of magic beasts, and infernal essences to protect them wh...
2024-03-28 19:10:42 +0000 UTC View PostOn their first day in Old Oaksfield, Nil and Lise followed the thralls and their cart through the city. The hooded men pushed the cart into an almost abandoned neighborhood. The rough wooden shacks and haphazardly slapped-together buildings suggested that it was once a slum. The squabbling pair stopped along the city’s central canal just before it disappeared into the sewers. Then they uncove...
2024-03-28 12:17:13 +0000 UTC View PostThe Oakheart Library’s offerings proved far more valuable than Nox anticipated. Besides Wilson’s Stasis, he also found a spell capable of stopping time for up to ten seconds. Its cost three-digit mana cost made it impractical for everyday use, but Nox could foresee it proving useful in emergencies—if he dedicated a planet to the spell. The complicated spellform and casting meant it would ...
2024-03-28 12:16:06 +0000 UTC View PostIt was the second day of the quest, and the vampire hunters were yet to make notable progress. They expected the vampires to attack the divining ritual as they had during every previous event. It started at midnight and went on until just before dawn, seeking the creatures of the night as they did their vampire things.
Nil and Lise had stayed up the entire night waiting for vampires...
2024-03-28 07:31:21 +0000 UTC View PostThe summoning brought the trio to a grand but decrepit building. It looked like it was once a temple, shrine, or seat of power. Grand statues stood on one end of the room. Pillars and intricate wall carvings lined it. A woman in faded priestly robes bowed as soon as they appeared. The line of men and women behind her copied her movements. Their armor was old, dented, and in some cases rusty. Wh...
2024-03-27 17:05:33 +0000 UTC View PostilThe Greywing arrived at the Oakheart restaurant early in the afternoon. As expected, Lord Oakheart was too busy to greet them, but Annabelle found time to do so. Two carriages collected the party from the airship port. They transported the party through the titanic grounds—which included a forest, vast green lawns, flower gardens, a maze, game courses, and more—to the noble house’s pala...
2024-03-27 17:04:25 +0000 UTC View PostNil tracked the Nexus's ever-changing quests after he felt fit enough for regular training. Now that he was officially done with his first two, he could look through what was available whenever he was not in the mandatory one-week wait period between them. The Schema constantly updated with quests disappearing and new ones appearing. Nil guessed old ones faded as others picked them or the need ...
2024-03-26 19:24:11 +0000 UTC View PostNil's leg needed a couple of more days to recover enough from the break. So, he had to take it easy with training, which frustrated him immensely. Isabella reduced the launchers’ firing frequency, and Nil focused more on catching with Absorb than Expending. The former ability was starting to fall behind, and he needed to grow it to Mortal-Eight as soon as possible. Since he had an Iron Realm ...
2024-03-26 08:42:31 +0000 UTC View PostAria had only expected to spend a night in Drachenberg, the city-state. So, when the Greywing arrived a day and a half later, she was ready and appeared worried. The future baroness ran into Nox’s arms when he showed up at the inn. The Oakheart event wasn’t for another four days. However, Nox wanted some time to explore the estate library and everything retrieved from Wilson’s family vaul...
2024-03-26 08:41:23 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Nil visited home, he took Andrew, Katherine, Susan, a slab of pork belly, coals, and a rub with him. As he had hoped, the food and company delayed the inevitable volcanic eruption. Andrew’s company when Nil dropped by was no surprise. It was the first time in seven years he had brought women home. Aisha had visited a couple of times as a member of the friends’ group, but there had been...
2024-03-25 16:44:18 +0000 UTC View PostNil woke in the infirmary with an Arthurtech device wrapped around his right leg. It throbbed with a dull ache but wasn’t too uncomfortable. Bandages covered his hands and stank of Symbiotech’s burn gel. His head hurt most of all. It felt like someone had stuck a blender in his skull and run it until the contents were soup. The multiple head strikes and the suffocation were too much for him...
2024-03-25 13:18:36 +0000 UTC View PostThe Gorgon Sisters’ lair started collapsing within seconds of the final sister’s beheading, marking the death of their domain, too. Alexander had made a point of leaving marks on the walls so they could easily find their way out. His squirrels also waited at strategic points, waiting to guide them. However, they sprinted to the treasure rooms first.
Otis sucked up all the heavy gold a...
2024-03-25 13:14:52 +0000 UTC View PostNil entered the square containing the red beacon first. As soon as he crossed its threshold, a giant spider web collapsed on him, wrapping him from head to toe. A powerful blow struck him a moment later, and a hail of them followed. Something attempted to pierce him from the opposite side, too, but failed. Brutal Baterry’s stores rapidly filled and teetered dangerously close to capacity.
<... 2024-03-24 21:07:34 +0000 UTC View Post“We need to reorganize,” Viktor said. He looked and sounded tired. The organizers had granted them a box of supplies to use between rounds. Symbiotech sprays and lotions, Arthurtech energy recovery lozenges, and more filled it. Everyone dug in, patching their wounds and catching their breath. “Elisha is out. We're one person short. It's not the worst thing ever. They're down two.” He no...
2024-03-24 07:38:27 +0000 UTC View Post