Nil had the power to throw his projectiles over a long distance. However, without the necessary Finesse, his accuracy significantly suffered with far-away targets. The little cannonballs from training made it into the net only about half the time. He didn’t care. Their opponents likely had the same idea and sent their speediest members after the flag. Nil didn’t expect to hit them. However,...
2024-03-23 18:18:02 +0000 UTC View Post“Welcome, one and all!” Adrian ‘Wildshape’ Wilson beamed as he addressed the crowd. He was a tall, handsome man. Despite his fame, all the forums dedicated to him, and the vid channels discussing his powerset, no one knew the specifics, his attribute distribution, or his limitations. The man maintained his enigma status while continuing to grow as one of the most powerful humans on the ...
2024-03-23 06:42:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe day before the Mortal Realm event and one month after signing the contract, Nil returned to Symbiotech’s headquarters in Southall. For the past month, he had submitted a urine sample to the ludus’ medical office at the end of every week. They wanted his second stream of the day and weren’t particularly interested in his alcohol intake or whether he partook in any illicit substances. I...
2024-03-22 17:34:57 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Nil returned from the quest and checked his internal ludus mail, a pleasant surprise awaited him: sign-up forms for several Mortal Realm events. He sought out Isabella before filling them in.
“Which one of these will give me the best shot at qualifiers?” Nil asked her.
“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” She asked. “Your body might be Iron Realm, but your abilit...
2024-03-22 10:05:14 +0000 UTC View Post“I’ve got bad news, okay news, and good news,” Layla said after Nil entered her office. Since he had suffered no significant injuries, he only spent the necessary three Schema Tokens at the Fountain of Pyrene. It got rid of the burn and pain, but the skin around the injury was still bright pink and raw. “Which would you like first?”
“Will the good make the bad sting less?” 2024-03-21 18:40:07 +0000 UTC View Post
After two hours of searching, Ester and Nil failed to find the Cursed One's hiding spot. However, they found several clues hinting at its size and shape and exchanged whatever information they had on the mysterious monsters.
“Cursed Ones are born when horrific acts are committed in places of power or regions especially rich in mana,” Ester said, holding her staff high. She illuminated...
2024-03-21 06:42:05 +0000 UTC View PostExactly eight weeks after returning from his first quest, Nil experienced his second summoning. It took him to the Nexus, but Layla didn’t send anyone for him. He approached her office, but an invisible barrier prevented him from approaching the door. The Schema interface appeared when he tried again.
Your caseworker is currently unavailable. She has been informed of your intere...
2024-03-20 18:48:00 +0000 UTC View PostIsabella proved an unforgiving taskmaster. She didn’t care that Nil had exhausted himself with intense morning training and three duels. Unlike the weapons trainer, she didn’t start the session with spars. Instead, she designed exercises based on their individual abilities.
The Kenyan-born arcane warrior, Mobi, focused on holding his spells while going through axe forms and swinging m...
2024-03-20 07:30:22 +0000 UTC View PostFatima conjured a pair of eight-inch blades and held them in a reverse grip. They reminded Nil of the new and fashionable scimitar-style chef knives. However, they had a strange hexagonal pattern, all of which appeared to connect, and they were made of solid, crystalline material. It almost looked like she had used blood for the constructs. They hummed, vibrating so fast that the air around her...
2024-03-19 19:33:16 +0000 UTC View PostA knock on the door woke Nil on his first Monday. It was still dark outside, and the dim aetherscreen on his desk read four-thirty-three. He sleepily answered the door in nothing but his shorts. Wolf whistles followed.
“Wake up call,” the only man in the trio said. He stood several inches taller than Nil but had a significantly leaner build. Nil guessed he prioritized speed over...
2024-03-19 07:55:07 +0000 UTC View PostGolden Aegis was founded by a Silver-Realm Summoned and his friends as a place for like-minded people to train and ascend together. Unfortunately, the founder lost his buddies in the Apocalypse Arena or quests and then gave up on the Silver Gauntlet before he could ascend to the next realm or qualify for the Gold Gauntlet. Now, he ran it for hopefuls like his dead friends, providing guidance so...
2024-03-18 18:33:13 +0000 UTC View PostNil woke the following morning alone but feeling pleased with himself. The date had ended after half an hour of making out, and the pair had agreed to keep things casual. The situation was perfect as far as Nil was concerned. There was still a hint of guilt when he saw Aisha’s face the first thing after waking up, but he had little trouble getting past it. After all, what straight man doesn...
2024-03-18 06:39:36 +0000 UTC View Post“I was surprised when you called,” Katherine said, grabbing the seat across from Nil. She looked as gorgeous as last time in her civilian clothes. The woman seemed to have put less effort into her appearance than their not-date, but still appeared glamorous. Katherine had not bothered with any makeup besides a bit of eyeliner and lipstick. Nil doubted she needed even that. “Susan was sure...
2024-03-17 06:31:51 +0000 UTC View PostNil didn’t need healing.
When he returned to the mall’s ground floor, a pair of women with a gurney met him. Nil recognized the older of the pair. It was the woman who had healed him following his first fight. She waved Nil away and took charge of Winter Hunter. The young woman flashed him the middle finger once on the gurney.
“You owe me a pair of stilettos, fuckhead,” she ...
2024-03-16 15:28:50 +0000 UTC View Post“It’s always nice when new fighters don’t give up after their first loss, isn’t it, ladies and gentlemen?” The same announcer as Nil’s first Pit fight spoke in his ear. “You might’ve not recognized Little Fist in his new outfit, but he’s back!”
The organizers had kept the colors the same, but he now wore a skin-tight T-shirt instead of a vest. The mask covered his nose...
2024-03-16 06:12:54 +0000 UTC View Post“Of course, I’m alive,” Nil said, rising from the hot tub. He was glad he had ignored Andrew’s suggestion to ditch the stinky swimming shorts. The chemicals had removed the stench from it and him, and his modesty was safe. “How did you find me?”
“You seem a little agitated, Nil,” Katherine stated, eyes darting between him and Andrew. “I'm not interrupting anything, am I?...
2024-03-15 07:03:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Joey, switch to frostfire,” Nox yelled instructions as he scanned for an advantageous position. “These things are mostly cold-blooded.”
“Got it!”
The twin projectiles had opened a path for Brianna. She charged only after Otis activated the spell in his store. The room's temperature dropped drastically, and the liquid in the air and on the floor swiftly froze. The lightn...
2024-03-15 07:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe trio of connected mobile homes were empty when Nexus sent Nil home.
“Andrew?” He called but got no reply.
It was late in the evening, and it was not unusual for Andrew to be out. His self-employment gave him a flexible schedule, and he didn’t need to be up early. He was always the more social one of the pair, and Nil guessed he was out at a party or on a date.
Sharin...
2024-03-14 18:53:39 +0000 UTC View Post“That was quick,” Brianna said. She fell on her bottom, panting. Her face was flush from the dancing. Her chains slowly faded, and her tattoos lost luminosity until they were no brighter than dying embers. “Terrifying, but quick.”
“It should've been long and terrifying,” Nox said, studying Medusa’s corpse and the damage his ice arrow had inflicted. I'd take a giant rampaging...
2024-03-14 07:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostYou’ve completed your quest!
You have gained 200 Schema Credits.
You have gained a Schema Token.
The Schema dropped Nil off at the Fountain of Pyrene.
The Fountain of Pirene senses your injuries. Would you like to receive healing?
4 Schema Credits will remove all your bruises and partially heal all lacerati...
2024-03-13 21:00:55 +0000 UTC View PostNot looking up was easier said than done. As they progressed closer to the titanic tree, he had to look out for collapses. The local architecture appeared similar to that of ancient Rome, with several intricately carved stone pillars, cement walls, and marble statues. They were cumbersome, forcing Nil to rely more on Expend to push them away than stop them with Absorb. He only used the latter w...
2024-03-13 20:59:12 +0000 UTC View Post“Wildshape Wilson is well on his way to becoming our first Platinum Realm fighter in the Apocalypse Arena,” the talk show host said, addressing his guest and the audience simultaneously. “Do you have any idea what that means? Entering the Platinum Gauntlet alone will net Britain enough resources to stand toe-to-toe with the American, Chinese, and Indian superpowers.
“...
2024-03-13 13:01:04 +0000 UTC View PostFighting rift bosses and creatures like Hogg’s avatar already induced anxiety and left the heart pounding. After two years of delving, Nox had grown used to such dangers and squashing fears. Dimensional lords and their top brass no longer worried him. The case wasn’t the same for the gorgon sister. She had designed her domain to incite fear.
The dust-covered people locked in battle st...
2024-03-13 12:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostNil got a haircut and shaved prior to his meeting with Katherine Park. He had made no such attempts for his fight at the Pits since Emily claimed he looked grossly different and considerably uglier when not clean-shaven. It had been a while since he took care of himself, mostly settling for disposable razor shaves and trims that only cost him a fiver. Andrew used one of his endless connections ...
2024-03-12 19:24:05 +0000 UTC View PostBrianna and Nox encountered giant serpents as they approached the throne room. Areas with them often featured gorgon statues, too. The dungeon lord’s strategy appeared to have invested a lot of resources into trapping intruders with Mind Magic. The serpents tried to distract them so their half-human-half-snakes companions could come to life and trap the pair in illusions.
Unfortunately ...
2024-03-12 19:16:41 +0000 UTC View PostEmily and Udit weren’t happy when Nil declared his decision to move in with Andrew temporarily.
“No son of mine is going to live in a bloody junkyard.”
“Doesn’t Andrew sell weed?” Emily demanded. “What are you thinking? What about your apartment?”
“Breathe,” Nil said, keeping his tone calm and voice low. He placed his hands on his sister’s shoulders. She ...
2024-03-11 16:50:33 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Nil stirred, his muscles ached with the characteristic discomforts of anaerobic respiration. It was like a heavy internal ache accompanied by a burning sensation. However, his skin, lungs, ears, and eyes felt just fine. It took a moment to blink away the blurriness. No burns or blisters covered Nil’s arms. He sat up and was pleased to find the rest of him was in a similarly pristine cond...
2024-03-11 06:18:11 +0000 UTC View Post“Why do floating islands float?
The sky-bound landmass existed long before the gods fell and even predates the start of their tyranny.
Historical records are spotty, but many scholars believe they were key in humankind first wielding magic. Following and tracking the floating islands’ path helped them identify and outline the world’s leylines. They subseq...
2024-03-11 06:17:27 +0000 UTC View PostDespite the rubble, metal scraps, and shards of glass in the grass, Nil walked without boots. Absorb ensured he made no noise as he walked and also kept the debris from shredding his soles. Whenever Brutal Battery’s levels edged closer to capacity, he momentarily used Expend to cover great distances in bounding leaps. The long air time gave him enough of an opportunity to switch to Absorb, re...
2024-03-10 10:35:16 +0000 UTC View PostLeft. Right. Kick.
Left. Right. Kick.
Elbow. Uppercut. Knee kick.
Because of its illegal nature, the Pits didn’t have a fixed staging ground. They rotated through several. Fighters and the audience members only received a general location of the event on the day. Then, mere minutes before things began, everyone received the precise location and a u...
2024-03-09 19:12:01 +0000 UTC View Post