AAA. 181

All team members breathed a sigh of relief when they spotted no Wilson Luduses uniforms after arriving in the alien world. In fact, they saw no other groups or fauna. Squat bioluminescent shrubs surrounded them. 

It was sunset. Pink, orange, and red streaked the sky, painting a pretty image. Then Nil looked down from the cliff atop which they spoke and saw a world equally beautiful but twisted by the Void. While studying in Ashe Fall, he learned that not all Void Lords and entities want to consume the multiverse. Many wanted to twist and recreate the worlds and their inhabitants to suit their image and version of how things should be.

Snow white creatures somewhere between deer and foxes sped below. Their antlers appeared wooden, and pulsing luminous flowers sprouted from them. Scuttlers moved among them, also wearing similar forms but with prominent insectoid segments and chitinous armor.

A cluster of trees in the distance appeared fleshy, bearing bony branches, with blood vessels woven around them. The leaves and fruit appeared to pulse like little hearts, and crimson stained the ground around them. Nil spotted movement around them but failed to identify the source. 

Strange lights he struggled to describe also littered the landscape. Nil had never encountered anything of the kind in his world during his quests or arena fights. Even though he’d only seen a minute fraction of the multiverse, he was almost sure they had come from beyond. Many gave him the same things he had felt when he looked at Oth or took in Watcher’s true form. His brain struggled to make sense of them, and the back of his eyes ached.

That Mind boost was an excellent idea. 

The announcer had long started her spiel. “All surrender tattoos have been modified to resist Void tampering,” she said. “An extra energy well has also been attached to all our participants' power seeds. They won’t get any benefits from the little globules. However, if they die or surrender, the little orbs will explode, washing away Cursed Energy and repelling the Void. Eternum needs more Cleansing than our usual arenas.”

Nil scanned himself with Energy instinct. He detected nothing. The arena construct had somehow veiled their addition from his detection. It made sense. Otherwise, people with energy detection abilities like his would have unfair advantages over the competition. Apparently, the arena intelligence took pride in being impartial. However, its last-minute, unannounced changes to arena matches said otherwise. 

“Since the Void is involved, we’ve also changed a handful of rules. The finishing and starting teams need not be the same. Up to five people can hold each winning position. Three of them need to be from the same world, and the bulk of the winnings will go to their planet. But they can round things out with individuals from other worlds who’ve lost all of their companions. The minority parties will receive reduced rewards for participating in the Cleansing and contribution, but will still get more than they would’ve otherwise.”

“That’s a big change,” Zora commented. “I wonder how the progression system will work for people who end up alone. Taking on the gate challenges can’t be easy solo.”

“It also changes how the gate-opening requirements and checkpoints will function,” Shawn said. “It might work out positively for us, though.” He almost sounded relieved. “If Wilson Luduses’ team runs into trouble and most of them get eliminated, the survivor could join us. Our world will probably still get full rewards.”

“Failing that, we might also bump into friends we made on Ashe Fall,” Selia said. She also befriended someone like Nil had Iris while working for the weave. They had agreed to help each other out against the Scourge.

“It's extra good news for Iris,” Nil added. “The two teams from her world intend to work together. A bunch of them getting knocked out won’t ruin their world’s chances at the Cleansing. I hope Wilson’s people will be willing to cooperate instead of taking everything for themselves.”

“All thirty-two teams are starting off equally spread out around Eternum with several gates separating them from the planet’s heart,” the announcer continued. “Rules regarding them haven’t changed. Only points earned from defeating Cursed Ones, Voidlings, and other teams will unlock them. A different challenge awaits all teams beyond each gate; it might be fighting another group, taking on a monster, dealing with a Void anomaly, or freeing a Well of Power. They’ll get access to the rest area afterward. 

“All groups must take a twelve-hour break every three gates. Whether they do it all at once or spread out their break is up to them. However, gates for the next section won’t open unless all groups in the area have met the necessary requirements to have conquered the area or are eliminated. Fighting in the rest areas is prohibited, and individuals who break the rules will be expelled. There might also be dire consequences for their teams.

“However, if a group also contains members from a mostly eliminated team, and it's the latter entity that causes the issue, the majority will not be held responsible.”

Several more rules followed and the announcer covered a lot of information regarding the Cleansing and Eternum. It started off informative, but after a while, Nil wanted nothing more than the cylinder of light containing him to drop so they could get started. A beacon in the distance marked the direction they were supposed to take. 

“Are you going to let Meatball free?” Selia asked. “She should be able to keep up with us with Quicksilver Burst, right?”

“She can, but we’re traveling longer distances than ever before, and her attention span is still lacking,” Nil replied. “I’d rather not deal with worries of her falling behind or getting sidetracked. Who knows how Void energies and substances will affect her? Standard rules don’t matter here. She’ll come out when needed.”

“Fair enough.”

“Get ready, everyone,” Zora said. “It sounds like she’s done yapping. Forward team, don’t go too far and always ping us before engaging. Remember, this is like the Chase. Endurance is key. Our team’s strength is in our speed and ability to hit hard and fast and move on. Only do enough to meet the next gate’s requirement. Don’t waste time or energy unnecessarily whether it was for someone you hate.” Her eyes shifted to Shawn. “Or someone you love.”

“Got it.” Nil nodded. No one in the team challenged the directive.

Shawn created a floating barrier disk when the cylinders of light fell. It carried him and Zora, moving just over half of Nil’s maximum speed. He waited for them to go fast, drifting down from the cliff where the arena construct had dropped them off. Despite several weeks of practice, Zora clung to Shawn. The mage appeared to have a fear of heights.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Nil asked. “There are better—”

“Shut up and throw me, Sunny-boi.” Selia grinned, bouncing excitedly.

“Please don’t call me that.” He groaned. Nil kneeled, laying his right hand flat over his shoulder. Once Selia sat on it, he braced and empowered himself in the same way he would when throwing Meatball. Then, he launched his girlfriend, pouring almost a tenth of his energy into the throw. 

Between phase shifting’s density control and techniques, while training under the Weave, Selia had no trouble controlling her trajectory and descent. Instead of watching her, Nil leaped from the cliff. After training on Onyx Dragon Mountain, he had a rough idea of manageable drops.

Absorb recharged Brutal Battery’s stores while ensuring Nil and his joints suffered no injuries or strains. Then he advanced with explosive force, Expending, supercharging speed, and then relying on Anti-Friction Lattice. It wasn’t long before he and Selia passed their fellow team members. 

The ground below was craggy, cresting and dipping between rough boulders and outcroppings. The terrain slowed Nil, forcing him to weave, leap, deactivate, and reactivate the energy weave around his feet. Meanwhile, it was perfect for Selia’s traversal. She ran or threw herself onto surfaces and then shot out of the other side, exceeding her entry speed. Her push-and-pull techniques further enhanced her speed, and she almost looked like a ghost wrapped in dark grey and black flying through obstacles.

“How’s the view up there?” Nil asked through the badge pinned to his jacket. “See any other teams?”

“Nothing but scuttlers and local wildlife twisted by the Void,” Zora answered. “A giant bird-boar-scuttler monstrosity just tried to divebomb us, but I took it out with a lightning spear. No points, unfortunately.”

“I’m detecting a bunch of potentially useful energy signatures ahead,” Nil replied. “We’ll check them out and report back to you.”

“Remember to engage nothing big or potentially dangerous without telling us first.”

“Of course. You carry on in your current direction. We’re banking left.”

No Cursed Energy signatures stood out in Energy Instinct’s range. The current environment, though seemingly wild, was full of ever-shifting magic and otherworldly powers that threatened to overwhelm Nil’s sixth sense. He zeroed in on the most powerful of them. When Void energies intertwined with magical forces, they rarely maintained their original forms. Both changed, becoming more that didn’t necessarily differ from multiversal forces.

Despite what the quest said, it was likely the Void anomalies had spawned several new wells of power around the planet, enhancing previously minor arcane sources. Freeing them from alien forces’ control wouldn’t fulfill their quest’s requirements but could possibly earn them points towards fulfilling gate requirements. It could also be wasted effort that satisfies the constructs and arena worlds but earned them nothing.

Nil had energy to spare, and recovering from it was also the easiest thing for him. His capacity had skyrocketed on advancing Spark to Silver Realm. It was more than three times of what he had Bronze-Nine, and he suspected the Immortal potential had something to do with it. Restoring it to full was now a challenge. He also didn’t worry too much about conserving energy. Nil readied a Source Sphere as they approached the disturbance. Selia hung back, letting him speed through first.

A hive of scuttlers surrounded him. They ranged from no bigger than a dog to bigger than elephants, with a range of alien appendages, varying armor levels, and bits adopted from consumed local lifeforms. They stiffened when he burst through the strange styrofoam-like material that formed their home. Cries ranging from roars and screeches to human chatter and blabber rose around Nil. They came at him all at once, appendages lighting up with fire, venomous green, and more.

Electrified Balance enveloped the orb of swirling Chaos, and Nil threw it up into the air. The Source Sphere froze at its apex, and crimson lightning showered the scuttlers and their hive, disintegrating giant chunks of whatever they touched. The arcing energy struck randomly but created havoc and proved invaluable against the mass of foes. He immediately switched to Absorb, turning the gauntlets’ gems silver. A pyramid-shaped Order barrier followed, solidifying just in time for the first giant scuttler’s strike.

The monster looked like a cross between a salamander and an insect. The bits not covered by chitin armor had come alive with purple fire as soon as Nil entered the scene. When it struck the barrier, fire went out. The scuttler’s roar also abruptly cut out. Another approaching giant barreled into the first, trying to get to Nil. It knocked over its brethren, and parts of the scuttler’s limbs cracked and shattered.

Shiver Shield wasn’t yet where Nil needed it to be, but it worked. His defensive mode now also had a bite.