AA. 180

As promised, the arena construct teleported everyone to the backrooms an hour before the Cleansing, regardless of where they were. Nil and his companions were ready. Everyone wore carefully picked outfits. 

Zora prioritized defense and mobility. When not busy with Selia's soul weapon, Andrew had dedicated all of his time and efforts to equipping her. As a seasoned and reasonably popular arena fighter, she also had a few sponsors. They weren't as generous and profitable as what the rest of the team enjoyed—because of their meteoric rise—but nothing to scoff at. Getting a Cleansing ticket had also earned her a well-deserved boost.

On the surface, her long coat looked like a classy but functional piece of fashion. It fastened around her neck and was snug around her slender torso and waist, highlighting her shape. Then, it flared outwards from the hip like a classic ball gown. A large section remained open just below the abdomen, revealing a pair of form-fitting shorts that ended halfway down her thighs. Her boots began a couple of centimeters below it.

All three garments came from a designer who made highly durable wear for arena fighters. Then Andrew did his magic on the coat and boots. The coat already had standard heat preservation and cooling enchantments. He added enough defensive magic to make the underlay as defensive as Star Metal chain mail. It took several sample garments to get it right, and Zora's sponsor questioned whether she was selling them. Andrew also added a minor weight reduction and balance spell. Individually, they weren't much, but they worked together to produce something potent. Apparently, the armorers of Ashe Fall could do a lot more with less waste, and their mastery over the spells made for far more potent enchantments.

The boots came with similar upgrades but also had a rechargeable active enchantment. Depending on how Zora activated it, the boots would give her a burst of jumping power or stick to surfaces. Both arcanically enhanced garments also came with padded sections that provided more protection to the joints and vitals. 

“I feel like I'm in a blanket burrito,” she reported, hugging herself and wearing a childish grin.

Her new weapon hung across her back. Attached to her by a strap. Andrew had stuck to the old design with a magic crystal acting as an energy battery and two spell storage stones but also added a couple of new functions. They all agreed that the additions were incredible and didn’t know how Zora ever did without them.

Selia was pleased with just her soul weapon and wanted nothing more. Her viewers picked out her Cleansing outfit. It was revealing and played into the sultry ninja aesthetic. She vetoed a couple of their decisions. Swapping out fishnets for normal stockings and a low-cut chain vest for a hooded leather jacket. Andrew added a couple of enchantments to the latter to help combat the elements. Selia refused the weight or movement restrictions that came with extra padding and armoring.

“If I’m getting caught out by Cursed Ones, the Scourge, or anything else, extra layers aren’t going to help,” she had said. “I need the speed and flexibility to ensure it never happens in the first place or to slip away when I screw up.”

“Are you sure?” Andrew pushed. “I could sort out some mobility—”

“I got enough of it between my techniques and spells. Honestly. The soul weapon is more than enough.”

Nil’s outfit wasn’t too different from what he wore during his previous two matches. Andrew added an extra layer of cold-resistance enchantments to the Garuda Systems jacket, otherwise, it was just standard durable garb. He wore trousers gifted by Master Seer’s students under his clothes again. They were comfortable, added an extra layer against frigid temperatures, but also kept him cool when things got hot.

“The regrow and repair function is pretty simple and standard by Ashe Fall’s standards,” Andrew said on the topic of the trousers. “A bit more practice, and I can make you the same but if not better. It would be one of the things that just sits in your Nexus wardrobe, though. The Schema won’t let you bring it home or into the arena without the Nexus’s intervention.”

“They’ve intervened enough already. Given the demands and favors I’ve demanded and have lined up, this is too minor a thing to add to the list.”

“You could make some requests for yourself, too, you know.” Andrew sighed.

“Sending Emmy and Sammy to Ashe Fall is for me,” Nil said. “It’s three months of them learning from some of the best in the universe. Peace of mind is as valuable to me as new equipment, manuals, or materials. Their strength and ability to stay ahead of the competition is valuable to all of us.”

“And what about Lily?” Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “You’re going to demand a favor for her as well, aren’t you?”

“There is some selfishness involved there.” Nil grinned. “Lily is a good kid, and unless her team makes it to the top three, it's unlikely she’ll get a Silver Ascension Token anytime soon. Meanwhile, Emily might return from Ashe Fall in three to four months already at Bronze Realm and in the next gauntlet. I know my sister. She’s obsessive and driven.”

“So you want Lily as a teammate and companion for Emily?” Andrew laughed. “Look at you, Sunny-boi. Thinking sixty-nine steps ahead.”

“My girlfriend says I’m not a meathead,” Nil said proudly.

“You never were.”

Shawn had an obsessed fan base and viewer pool, just like the rest of the team, but accepted no input on his outfit. His very formal, blindingly white suit looked like something a late Victorian gentleman would wear to a ball or to court a nobleman’s daughter. It went well with his longsword. Given his power seed’s defensive prowess, Shawn wanted no enhancement to his clothes besides the material and artisanry’s natural durability. Nil suspected the outfit had a self-cleaning function or the power to resist dirt, grime, and blood. It made no sense to wear something so garish to a long, multi-day arena event like the Cleansing.

Everyone on the team wore a silver badge over their left breast. Andrew had designed it to function the same as the tattoos provided during the Weave quest. It would serve as their communicator and also came with a tracking function. It was the only accessory everyone wore that signified them as part of a team.

Meanwhile, Wilson Luduses’ quartet all wore matching navy blue outfits with a stylized golden ‘W’ printed across their chests. The arena construct had brought all eight of them to gate sixteen. Adrian was with them. It seemed he had special privileges to come and go as he pleased. The arena construct didn’t limit his presence to just when he had matches. Nil imagined it was part of some special permission just like he had with the Nexus. No other Summoned besides the Forge’s residents had permission to teleport to the multiversal organization’s offices unless it was before or after a quest.

The team received friendly waves from Lily and Lucy, while the men from Wilson Luduses only greeted with curt nods. Shawn responded in kind. His eyes frequently drifted to Ateeq and Olaf. The man titled Shieldmaster appeared hesitant and torn.

“Are you okay?” Nil asked after sequestering him to help with supplies purchasing. 

“I grew up with those two in the junior luduses,” Shawn answered after a long silence. “We were inseparable like you are with Andrew. Our communication faded after I was kicked out. It's strange to be on opposing teams now. I don't like the idea of scheming against them and preparing to be the reason they end up in trouble with Adrian and the company.” Adrian glanced over his shoulder and quickly continued. “Don’t get me wrong. It's not like I don’t understand the gravity of our quest and what we need to do. But I still worry that people who were once my family are heading into a fight against the Void that might get them killed and don’t have all the information that we do.

“Between Festus, the Nexus, and everything we learned on Ashe Fall, we’re far better prepared for what's to come. Being unable to warn them has been ripping me apart inside. At the same time, I don’t want to betray my current team and grant the opposition tools that can help them use alien threats against us. It's not been easy.”

Shawn had never opened up to Nil in such a way before. In fact, it was the first time he had talked about anything so personal without Selia’s incessant prodding. It was clear the matter was eating him up inside. Clashing loyalties and working against familial figures was no easy matter. 

“We’ll try our best to avoid them,” Nil said. He couldn’t think of any other way to help Shawn feel better about the situation. “I’d rather not put you in the position of fighting people who were like brothers to you. If a loss has similar penalties waiting for them as Lily, they might not hold back if we clash. I’d rather not put you in that kind of situation.”

“Thank you,” Shawn said. “For listening and understanding.”

“Any time.” Nil smiled. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, but I like to think of us as friends.”

“I do too.” Shawn nodded. “Selia is an important friend. I’m glad you were there for her after Adam’s passing in ways I… just can’t.”

“Of course. I love her.”

Shawn smiled, his expression softening. “I misjudged you when we first met. You played the role of double agent well. Selia and Adam thought otherwise, but I was almost sure you were one of Shina’s newest twisted minions. I’m sorry I was a dick to you for so long.”

“You’re protective of your friends and don’t like people who fuck with them or take the wrong path to power. I can respect that. It can’t be easy getting screwed by the Wilsons like you did.”

“I don’t think it was Adrian or Arthur that kicked me out,” Shawn quickly said. “They were nothing but kind and lovely to me. Big organizations aren’t easy to run, and it must be challenging to oversee and control everything. Reaching Adrian also involves getting past a bunch of middlemen. He was away on a long quest when a bunch of managers made decisions without him, and a lot of things slipped past his attention. Adrian can’t be blamed for it. He has invited me back a handful of times on excellent terms to make up for what happened. The people responsible for dropping me and the others have been fired. We were supposed to get jobs in the organization. Never expelled.”

“Why haven’t you accepted the offer?” Nil asked. “I hope you don’t mind me asking. It seems being back with your old friends and working with Adrian is everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Pride? I want him and everyone to see everything I’ve achieved without the organization’s help and resources. It might be silly, but I want to become someone because I did it myself and made a difference by bringing the Nexus and greater powers to our world. It carries a lot more weight than achieving things in Adrian’s shadow.”

“I can respect that.”

The duo returned to the gate just after Susan and Selia. They had visited alchemy and artificer stores, purchasing supplies and magical camping equipment, which all fit into a magically enhanced storage pouch. It was one of the items that would never leave the arena backrooms but was infinitely handy. Shawn took charge of the container since he was most likely to lose or damage it in combat. All the potions, food, and extra water went in it. Each team member also carried magical flasks that refilled themselves by gathering water vapor from the atmosphere. 

Then the time for the Cleansing to begin came, and all were teleported to the Void-corrupted world.