AA. 214

“That quick enough for you?” Selia asked once the arena construct teleported them to the backrooms. Dirt stained her pale skin and clothes, but she appeared unscathed. It seemed her chains had blocked most of Rip’s terrifying attacks.

Nil nodded. He rushed to one of the many walls of screens that filled the area, displaying ongoing matches. “I don’t see her. Must still be in the rest area.”

“Emmy will be fine. She is far better prepared and stronger than we were. Honestly, that girl is a bigger monster than you. A lot less reckless, too.”

“Doesn’t stop me from worrying.” Nil sighed. “I’d call her bull-headed and stubborn, but that would be hypocritical.”

“Cut from the same cloth and all the other cliches.”

You have earned 1000 Schema Credit and 5 Schema Tokens!

Your arena rank has risen to Silver VIII!

“If we win this thing, we’ll be eligible for Gold Arena,” Selia commented, leaning on Nil as she peeled off her thigh-high boots. He struggled to understand how she fought wearing them. Her sponsors insisted, and Festus claimed that the audience loved them. “Shawn will be seething.”

“I really only care about getting as ahead as I can before the Labirynth. What Shawn thinks matters little.” Nil paused, glancing at his girlfriend of almost four years now. “Didn’t he have a match today?”

“It was last night, and he won. Shawn is already Silver X, but I don’t think he’s found a single Gold Ascension Token yet. The matches are only to keep his rank from decaying. He might even be considering the Death Gauntlet again.”

Nil moved on from the topic. He didn’t have much interest in discussing the barrier mage. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is the first time we’ve seen a Scourge Champion surrender, right?”

Selia nodded. “I doubt this is the first or last time we’ll see him, though. The brothers won a Cleansing. Rip might be coming back for the Labirynth.”

After they won the Cleansing, Nil, and Selia gained information and access to far more arena services. They frequently watched matches that were not run by the construct that oversaw their sector. The current tournament had several constructs cooperating, and the Scourge Champions were from a distant section of the multiverse, which explained their odd alien magic. The couple had followed the  Scourge Champions’ matches and also checked their history, trying to figure out the minutia of their ability.

Since it looked like they had more time, the couple indulged in one of the many exclusive eateries only open to individuals with notable victories under their belt. It allowed them to keep track of Emily’s events as they ate and decompressed. Nil’s worry for his sister kept him from giving his partner the attention she deserved. Fortunately, Selia understood. Nil often considered himself lucky. She got him far better than anyone he had been with before.

Finishing the battle swiftly had its downsides. Festus wouldn’t profit as much. The longer the fight went on, the more he, and therefore Nil and Selia, made through advertisers. It didn’t give them a lot of time to train and raise their attributes or ability ranks. Nil was closing in on Gold Realm and wanted to reach the cusp of the Labyrinth. They only had a few months remaining.

• Might: Silver 6 | Potential: Silver

• Finesse: Gold 5 | Potential: Immortal

• Mind: Bronze 5 | Potential: Bronze

• Spark: Gold 7 | Potential: Immortal

Brutal Battery: Silver 7

• Absorb: Silver 8

• Expend: Silver 7

• Toggled Supercharging: Bronze 6

• Anti-Friction Lattice: Bronze 9

• My Body Is My Temple: Bronze 5

Feats:

• Armmaster’s Disappointment

• Through Sheer Grit

• The Power of Belief

• Primal Origins

• Inducted by Vanheim

• He Who Maimed A God

Source Gauntlets: Bronze 8

• Wield The Source: Bronze 8

• Galvanized: Bronze 9

• One With The Source: Bronze 4

Ironroot Drakeling: Bronze 9

• Reinforce: Bronze 9

• Regenerate: Bronze 9

• Quiksilver Burst: Iron 8

Raising attributes had become a challenge now that he had a Body of Gold. Nil expected it to take five tokens per rank. It was ten instead. All growths had slowed down, and Through Sheer Grit was starting to prove its worth. He was far ahead of Selia and, apparently, Shawn in terms of ranks. They had all ascended after the Cleansing while he gained his Body of Gold, but most of their abilities were two or more stages behind his.

Nil hoped the semi-finals and finals would give him ample opportunity to raise Brutal Battery and the Source Gauntlets. Meatball was also due to her ascension to Silver. Most of his arena earnings were going to hasten the process. She had refused to join him for the last match and wished to prune the World Tree instead, so he assumed it was close. 

“You’re going to spend the profits on Meatball, aren’t you?” Selia asked, figuring out what he had in mind. 

“Probably. I just need her to ascend before the Labirynth. I can almost taste how close it is.”

The Irontroot Drakeling had consumed all the materials Nil claimed from Cleansing’s reward vault. She had also received several growth-enhancing treats from the Moon Rabbit Emporium.

“At this rate, Mirror-Me is going to get there first,” Selia said.

“I can just imagine everyone’s face when you whip her out in the Labyrinth,” Nil said. “She should make for quite a surprise. That’s assuming Shawn and Zara don’t go around telling everybody.”

“I know you’re still annoyed with Shawn, but he’s better than that.” 

“You sound like you’re trying to confuse yourself more than me. In all honesty, I don’t think Shawn even looked at the full rewards list or checked the details before making his pick. He saw the Aegis, declared he wanted it, and left.”

“It’ll be strange if he doesn’t get over his hang-ups and just joins us.” Selia sighed. “He is an asshole and an idiot, but I’d like to think of him as our asshole and idiot. We could operate in two halves again. You and me as the forward, him leading the other two.”

Nil said nothing. He wasn’t as hopeful as Selia and had too much on his mind to give the matter much thought. His attention continued drifting to the screens. 

“Godpuncher Roy!” Exclaimed the person Nil wanted to see the least. “Excellent show you put on there! How many Silver Gauntlet wins is that?”

“I don’t keep count, Mr Wilson,” Nil replied, rotating in his chair to face Wildshape Wilson. He still didn’t understand how the man frequently visited the backrooms without registering for a match. The man seemed to catch him after his matches often. “But undefeated thus far. What brings you here?”

“Oh. You know how it is just doing the rounds. I’m glad I bumped into you.” Adrian Wildshape Wilson smiled at Selia. “Both of you. There is something I wanted to discuss.”

“Is it about how you lost all the Cleansing tickets to the Forge?” Selia asked, sounding sweet and innocent. “Lucy got knocked out pretty early. That couldn’t have been easy for her. Or you.”

Adrian’s smile didn’t waver as he looked into Selia’s eyes. “Everyone has win streaks and lose streaks. I’m sure she’ll have no trouble next year. Or in the other events.”

“Ah. Yes. She’s still young. Just turned eighteen, right? Probably best if she takes time to grow up. Child soldier and whatnot.”

“I wanted to discuss the Labyrinth and working together,” Adrian said, returning his attention to Nil. “I think we were too hasty last time. Instead of competing to be the strongest ludus group in the country and Europe, why don’t we work together? If we combine our resources, we’ll be the best in the world. Think of the change we can bring about and everything we can achieve. Why be in service of the Control World?”

“You want to use the Forge’s World Tree, don’t you?”

“That’s not all you and the Forge have to offer. The tree is certainly a bonus. Just think of everything we can accomplish.” Adrian took a seat without invitation. “Look at how all the top Control and Seed Worlds function. Cultivators and top mages are at the top, followed by the average ascended and Summoned. Then, everyone else that needs protection and stability.”

“I won’t argue with the model’s effectiveness,” Nil stated. “A council of decent, powerful people is great for maintaining order, overseeing growth, and ensuring prosperity. But the question is, how are we going to get there without civil war and heavy casualties? The current people in power aren’t just going to roll over. They might even get desperate and respond with their nuclear arsenal. What’s the point in ruling a dead or dying world? It’s better to take it slow—”

“I think you’re forgetting Wilson Enterprises’ primary subsidiary,” Adrian stated, sitting back and crossing his legs. “Arthurtech is everywhere. Everywhere. If, and it's a big if, the people in power refuse to see reason, we can transition smoothly and without bloodshed. You don’t need to harm the trigger finger, Nil. Just disable the trigger.

“Sure. The civilian population won’t be happy. Currently, we’re the sideshow, entertainment, and villains. That’s why we can’t live among the civilian population and are segregated from everyone else. Believe me. There is talk of just shopping all of us to an island and ensuring we don’t leave without painful bureaucracy or visas.” Adrian paused, studying the couple for a moment. “Isn’t that why three out of four Roys are no longer civilians, and there are Seekers scouring the Americas for—”

“Who told you about that?” Selia interrupted, her calm disappearing in a flash. Nil wanted to point fingers at Shawn but resisted. It wasn’t the time for it. 

“I didn’t realize Arthurtech had fingers in everything,” Nil said. “You’ve got backdoors everywhere, don’t you? That’s why you started the Junior Luduses. Indoctrinate them young.”

“This has been brewing forever,” Selia whispered. “Symbiotech. Arthurtech. All of it.”

Adrian ignored her. He rose from his chair and straightened his clothes. “I’ve said my piece. Just think about it. You’re free to go to the media or post it online, but—”

“Nobody will believe us.” Nil sighed. “You got us by the balls, Adrian. We’ll think it over. Maybe after the Labirynth.”

“We’d prefer you figure it out before then,” Adrian said. “You have a room for a Gold Realm Summoned in your team. I can fill that hole. The two of you, me, Shawn, and a Bronze of your picking. Maybe that darling sister of yours. There is no telling when our world will get another chance at an event as big as this. The farther we get, the greater the rewards for our luduses and the world. Think of all the good we can do.”

The man studied the couple for a moment before nodding and marching away. Nil and Selia didn’t stick around for long. They had finished most of their meals, and Adrian cost them their appetite. The couple paid before returning to the Forge. There was much to report and discuss.

It makes no sense. Why the hell would he lay all his cards and plans out on the table?