AA. 198

The rest of the sector blurred by. After finding no suitable sources on their way to the beacon, Team Forge settled for a hive of biomechanics. It was far larger and more densely populated than the last one they faced. However, it wasn’t much of a threat to the four as they worked together. 

Team Forge’s rogue embarked on a mission to find the hive’s core, phasing through the walls to seek out what directed and commanded all the biomechanics. Meanwhile, the mage commenced her arcane artillery bombardment, and the guardian defended her, doing plenty of damage on her own. The striker wreaked havoc in the middle of it all, switching between shredding and disintegrating the monsters and ducking behind Shiver Shield to recover energy.

It didn’t take long for Selia to accomplish her task. Nil disintegrated his way through the biomechanicals, occasionally electrifying his tail to do extra damage—physical blows seemed to do little more than slow them. Each killed creature stunned and slowed the creatures, but not as long as with the last hive. 

Nil guessed the previous hive was still setting roots and hadn’t finished establishing itself. Hence, it only had two varieties of creatures, while the current contained far more. It wasn’t just their physical forms that showed diversity but also the lights coming through their eye holes. He couldn’t name or describe any of them since his brain struggled to make sense of several, but he could tell that they contained the Source and weren’t of any universe he had visited.

When Nil initiated his attack on the core, defense drones emerged out of the walls. Most of the hive had already followed him, forcing Shawn and Zora deeper into the structure. Barriers and conjured weapons served as barricades and walls, preventing Nil and Selia from getting overwhelmed.

Team Forge didn’t have to get creative or come up with new strategies. They stuck to the plan and executed it well, destroying the hive’s heart and winning the final necessary point to finish their journey through the sector. Shawn remained restrained and quiet. He appeared torn and somewhat heartbroken.

Nil recalled the word love mentioned in relation to Olaf. He had a lot of questions but thought it best not to ask. It felt inappropriate and too probing. It was none of his business. Shawn was an incredibly private man, and they were starting to become more than just acquaintances. Nil didn’t claim to understand his past, previous ties, or relationships. However, he wanted to believe that Shawn was a decent person and wouldn’t work against the team’s best interests. 

The man’s private nature got in the way of trust and camaraderie. Selia believed in him, so Nil did his best to give the man the benefit of the doubt. The Nexus and Layla trusted him too. What concerned him was the way Shawn failed to see the Wilsons’s obvious faults and fell for the bullshit surrounding his expulsion from the junior luduses. It felt like willful ignorance.

He needs to figure out where his loyalties lie. Otherwise, this team won’t survive.

Nil made plans to bring up the matter with Selia and Layla after the Cleansing. He wasn't sure how either would react, but the matter needed to be discussed. 

The party opted to take on a Cursed One for the gate challenge. A much bigger army of monsters welcomed Team Forge. It consisted of the tall knight-like entity they had fought before, but also javelin-throwers, the many-armed apes, and even the giant mammoths. It was a daunting sight at first. But Team Forge had excellent coordination and was not easily rattled. They used tactics similar to those used during the last Cursed One challenge. It was hectic, tiresome, and tedious but as straightforward as the mech hive. 

Team Forge went forth with a plan, stuck to it, working as one, and eventually defeated their target, coming out on the other side tired and drained but reasonably unharmed. They finished the sector and moved on to the rest area feeling accomplished. Besides the run-in with the Wilson Luduses team, their journey to and through the gate had passed smoothly and without any major incident.

All team members have earned 4 Schema Tokens and 100 Credits.

The team had maintained their lead. As a result, Nil had eight Schema tokens to his name—four saved from the previous challenge. Unwilling to give up his advantage and eager to get more out of his speed, he invested them all in Finesse.

Finesse has progressed to Silver 7!

Finesse has progressed to Silver 8!

Team Forge exited the challenge and were once again teleported to a distant area of the planet. Nil sensed the ambient energy get denser and the weather warmed, growing humid once again. Things were quiet afterward. This time, they had eight hours to spend between the two rest areas before the final challenge. After all, there would be no ground to cover between the fifth and sixth gates.

“How long does everyone need?” Nil asked as everyone settled around the rest area’s magic crystal. 

“A couple of hours,” Zora replied. “Maybe add an extra to it for the staff. I’d rather save the bulk of the time for our final rest.” She glanced between Shawn and Selia. “Do either of you need or want more?”

Shawn shook his head. 

“Two hours is more than enough for me,” Selia replied. She placed a hand on Nil’s shoulder. “You pushed pretty hard during those last few fights. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather get some shut-eye? We can manage with the basic supplies.”

“I feel better than ever, actually,” Nil told her. “One With The Source is incredible. I purified all the Cursed Energy before we came through. It helped me top off Brutal Battery and also washed away all tiredness.”

“That might be true for your body, but mental exhaustion will catch up to you sooner or later. We can make do with whatever is in the pantry.” She hugged his left arm. “Don’t get carried away with this ascension. We need you well-rested, focused, and all together. There might not be a lot left, but the hardest stretch remains.”

“Fine.” Nil sighed. He kissed the top of her head.

Your team was partially responsible for the elimination of one Scourge World from the Cleansing and has earned 5 Schema Tokens and 500 Schema Credits.

“Someone finally took out the other team,” Nil stated, smiling. “That’s at least one down. I hope the other Nexus Team is doing their job just as well as we are.”

“That’s one world down and two Wells of Power,” Zora stated. The mech-hive had settled on top of one, and the main controlling unit seemed to be drilling into it. It was in the middle of setting up a machine to replicate the smaller specimens—or so it seemed—using the arcane energies. A Schema notification had appeared, informing them of the accomplishment. “Hopefully, we’ll understand the others’ status in the next sector.”

Meatball appreciated being set free in the rest area. She squeaked happily, rolling around the magic crystal. The drakeling was even happier when Nil handed her the chunk of Cursed One flesh he had snagged from her. It was from one of the mammoth-like creatures. She enjoyed it the most during the journeys through the previous sectors.

“Is he going to be okay?” Nil asked Selia, keeping his volume low. Shawn sat across the magic crystal from them, facing away, and eyes closed in meditation.

“Eventually, yes.” Selia rested her head on Nil’s shoulder. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said Ateeq and Olaf were more important to him. I don’t know how to explain their relationship, and it’s probably not my place. The pair are heavily indebted and tied to Wilson Enterprises. I get the vibe that Olaf is also drinking Adrian’s Summoned Supremacy Kool-Aid. He probably wants them free and the old relations restored.”

“But that’s not possible if his team is responsible for knocking them out of the Cleansing and landing them in insane debt.” Nil shook his head. “This isn’t sustainable. He can’t commit to the Forge or the team if this continues, especially if we end up in tournaments or events that force us to work against Wilson Luduses. It won’t be the last time we run into them.”

“It's complicated and tough. You can’t hold this against him.”

“I’m not,” Nil whispered, hesitantly glancing at Shawn. The man hadn’t moved. “But what was he expecting when he came running out of the caves? Was he going to talk them down? Team Wilson doesn’t know about Shiver Shield. I might’ve blocked the physical element, but the temperatures would’ve cooked me. Olaf shot to kill.”

“I know,” Selia commented. “Meatball probably does too. Why do you think we fucked him up so much? If not for Olaf, I would’ve fucking killed him. The arena healers will have to work overtime to heal all the breaks and mend his face. Unless he has privileges like Lucy’s, the bastard has a future of insane debt and servitude ahead of him. We probably don’t have to worry about running into anyone but Lucy in the Silver Gauntlet either. They’ll need to get their hands on an Ascension Token first.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Nil put an arm around his girlfriend and leaned against the cushions behind him. He chuckled. “You should’ve seen Lucy’s face. She was fucking terrified.”

“She commands a fundamental universal force. I bet it's not often that people see through her ability and techniques and just steamroll through her. We need to go over exactly what you did later. Given the opportunity, I want to stomp her too.”

“It’ll be pretty easy once your Energy Echo gets better. It's just a matter of tracking the gravity locus and avoiding wherever it's strongest. Her soul weapon and how it combines with the base ability is a touch more complicated. I need to watch the recordings, but I’m pretty sure there is some spatial warping involved.”

“That’s not terrifying at all. Things are going to be chaotic when we get back. Wilson fans are fanatical, and I hear the team has a similarly crazed following. We’re going to have a lot of haters.”

“Do we care? We’re pretty much untouchable while living in the Forge. They can run smear campaigns, but what we’ve done here will earn us a butt load of money. I suppose we’ll just need to watch our backs when we go out. I doubt my family will mind their confinement.

“Baba seems pretty satisfied with his new life. The quests and gauntlet have Emily satisfied. Cultivation and a year on Ashe Fall will make Sam happy. Adrian can try to fuck with us if he wants, but we’ll take care of things.”

“I don’t want to be stuck in the Forge all the time, though,” Selia commented. “I want to help with CIT stuff, go on dates, and blow our insane wealth.”

“Fine. We’ll play nice on the surface.” Nil glanced at Shawn. “He’ll appreciate it.”

Selia nodded. “Don’t give up on him just yet. He’s a good guy and worth having in the team.”