AA. 219

“Did you get the feeling that they don’t trust Shawn either?” Nil asked, walking through Nexus Market, arm in arm with Selia. He carried a grapefruit-sized sphere in his free hand. The wood and iron formed a spiral pattern reminiscent of roots and iron brambles. It was seamless, giving the artifact a finish so smooth one would assume it was carved from a homogenous block of wood. His fingers explored the object as they talked. “I’m not buying the story about the druids wanting to talk to him separately. I think it's all placation.”

“Probably true,” Selia said, sounding dejected. Nil understood her unwillingness to give up on Shawn. He and Adam, the now-dead regenerating bruiser, were her first true friends after she fled Symbiotech. They helped fer find normalcy and shared in her troubles. “Shawn’s unwillingness to condemn Adrian and his followers certainly doesn’t paint him in a good light. I don’t think he’ll go out of his way to hurt us but it goes the same for stopping Adrian.”

“Sitting back and doing nothing is as bad as siding with the enemy,” Nil stated, and Selia didn’t disagree.

The couple stopped for a quick snack on their way to Moon Rabbit Emporium. As a high-profile Silver and Gold Gauntlet event, the Labyrinth allowed far more tools and consumables than any other event they had participated in before. They still had several months to prepare but used the opportunity to shortlist items that would benefit the team.

“So, Iris’s invitation. That’s out of our hands now.”

Nil sighed, nodding. “It was inevitable, I guess. There is no one better for our team. Let’s just hope whatever word Alexander and Diya have with her family does the job.”

“They probably won’t be pleased with your Source Arms,” Selia said.

“Maybe not. I think my version is different enough from their signature technique. They have floating appendages. I have marionette arms attached to my back. It's going to be sense but we might as well give it a shot.” He paused, studying Selia’s face closely. “Are you sure about this? I know it's an order, but I’ll fight it if you’re not—”

“No. This is our best chance at getting the job done. If the Labyrinth can help us get the means to protect the Forge and World Tree, I believe we should do whatever is necessary to get as far as possible. It's not just the tree that’s at stake but the world.”

“No pressure, right?” Nil joked. 

“What are you thinking? Are you really willing to abandon Earth and move somewhere else?”

“If we have to,” Nil answered hesitantly. “As I said my family, you, all our friends are the priority. It won’t be easy but I believe it will be for the best.”

“Maybe the question wasn’t clear. You don’t need to convince me, Nil. I have more or less accepted that my family is dead, and I have an attachment to little besides our little bubble. My concern is more along the lines of whether you can live with yourself after such a decision.”

“As long as I’ve got you and everyone else for support, I think the burden will be bearable. Maybe I’m kidding myself, but the world tree leaving Earth might be in the civilian population’s best interests. It doesn’t belong in our world. Meatball and I put it there and threw everything off balance. The chances of the Forge holding up for long are low.”

“Things will really go tits up if Adrian and his minions tap into the energy.”

“World War III,” Nil said.

“If not Nuclear Armageddon,” Selia stated. “Russia, China, and India much rather use their own tech over Arthurtech. The Wilsons won’t just be able to switch off their arsenal with the flick of a switch. Western Europe and some of the Americas are more within their control, but they’ll need to tread carefully in fear of mutually assured destruction. They’re banking on the world tree’s magic to keep all of that from happening.”

“Ah, yes. All this world needs is a second cataclysm.” Nil sighed as they moved on to the equipment section. Neither he nor Lily needed armor. The same couldn’t be said for Selia or Emily. Both had significant vulnerabilities, the latter more than the former. Nil wanted to ensure nothing untoward would happen to either of them. “Maybe they’re banking on it. Defences fuelled by Yggdrasil’s daughter might just be able to repel all incoming missile attacks or render the fissile material inert.”

“It's a simple plan but effective. The Wilsons come across as people who won’t be satisfied until the world is theirs to command. Whatever they do, I doubt it will be big or convoluted. Direct and sudden is more likely.”

“How can you be so sure?” Nil asked. 

Selia shrugged. “I might’ve been little, but I saw South America around the millennium and again after the cataclysm. When people need to be manipulated and coups need to be launched, simple is better. The preparation and recruitment phase is the challenging bit.”

“And the Wilsons have had plenty of time to perfect that bit.”

Selia picked a psychic fortitude amulet and pressed it into Nil’s hand. He didn’t protest despite Toggled Supercharging’s ability to enhance protection otherwise provided by the Mind attribute. It was where he was weakest, and his companions had almost suffered significant injury because of it. Nil couldn’t afford for the same to happen again, especially now that his sister would be accompanying them.

Since the Labyrinth lacked Void presence, they were unlikely to run into the Glimmer. However, a Silver or Gold Realm Summoned with Mind Magic could prove just as terrifying. He needed all the security and protection possible. Instead of purchasing the one Selia had picked out, he commissioned the emporium to have two more potent versions. Nil could afford it. If the Emporium didn’t find what he needed, they’d commission talented artisans to have them made within his budget. Since Lily’s Mind attribute was as horrendous as his and she didn’t have any form of psychic reinforcement, he planned on giving her one of the amulets. They, alongside alchemical brews, would hopefully prove enough.

Just as they were about to move on to food and upgrade materials for their spirit companions, a necklace caught Nil’s attention.

“Are those magic storage gems?” He asked the shop assistant.

“You have a sharp eye, Mr Roy,” he replied. “They indeed are and more. Our very own Master Lin personally pulled this from a Crystal Roc’s heart. It can’t just store magic but also attracts, aiding recovery in near-barren environments.” The man ran his fingers inscribed into the rims along the borders and the pea-sized pink gems accompanying the pale azure stone. “These provide passive psychic protection, and their stored energy can be burned to alleviate mental strain. It's the perfect gift for a mage.”

“I’ll take it,” Nil said, even though the price tag suggested he’d need to sign new sponsorship and advertising deals for his Earth-side expenses. “We might need to take on a quest or two for the rest of our purchases.”

“You don’t have to bear the cost alone, you know. Lily and Emily are making money hand-over-foot and not spending it on anything of value. They should partially reimburse you.” Selia grinned. “I’m sure Iris and her family will also invest in our Laabyrinth supplies. They’re royalty, after all.”

“If we’re lucky, they’ll have their own artisans. We’ll get competitive, if not better rates and excellent quality. Teaming up with Iris is all positive.” Nil studied his partner for a moment. “Do you want me to pull the trigger?”

Selia nodded. “Of all the people out there capable of watching our backs, I think she is the most reliable.”

“I’ll get on it after clearing the matter with the others.” 

The pair explored the technique and scrolls section. Nothing stood our to Nil. He was still working through the scroll he received from Watcher. The first, connecting source constructs to one’s nervous system, felt withini his grasp. Nil hadn’t mastered it yet but he had learned all that the scroll had to teach. Only practise and experimentation would get him the level of control he desired.

The second technique involved filling one’s surroundings with static Source constructs and controlling them in unison. Of the three fundamental Qi skills: Projection, Shaping, and Manipulation, the last was Nil’s weakest and he lacked the talent and feel for it. Initially, he believed the second technique relied primarily on Manipulation but that no longer seemed like the case, it was only a part of the hole. He believed that with enough practise he could master it too but would require mastery over the first technique and using Source threads to link constructs to the constructs. He could foresee Order’s more static nature pairing brilliantly with it. Unfortunately, he was nowhere near ready to start on the path. He hoped Gold Realm would make it a possibility.

Meanwhile, Nil had no hope of learning or utilizing the final technique: Source Clones any time soon. Later meetings with Watcher  had helped him learn that not only did he need to master the first two stages but also learn to balance Chaos and Order perfectly, and use them in unison. 

A good part of the past eighteen months had gone into mastering Abssolute Array and Source Lightning. Even though Nil had techniques involving them prepared, he refused to pull them out in the arena or around anyone but Selia. He hoped to keep them secret for the Labyrinth. It wans’t the Scourge that he worried about but Shawn as well. If they ended up facing one another, he wanted trump cards. The barrier mage also kept everyone in the dark regarding his growth. Niil didn’t know anything about the Aegis spirit companion or techniques combining barrier energy and spatial magic. 

Selia found several new scrolls with Specter and Ghost in the name and picked through them for any that would combine well with her mirror image. She excelled at assassination, ambushes, and trapping, but needed more tools for prolonged combat. Hexes and debilitating spells were perfect for her arsenal. 

It was almost evening by the time the couple returned to the Forge. Both of their Holodevices sat by their bed and flashed red, indicated multiple emergency messages. Nil rushed to check his while Selia visited the washroom. His stomach dropped.

“What is it?” Selia asked, sticking her head into their bedroom,, half her clothes missing. She didn’t get a chance to shower before the Nexus visit. “Festus panicking over a bullshit fake video again?”

Nil shook his head, struggling to find the right words. “It’s Baba,” he said. “He went down for an afternoon nap. Sammy can’t get him up.”