Much to Nil’s surprise, Noah Granger called him on Sunday morning. The Forge didn’t have a set routine, but from what he had heard, most took the day off. The Summoned used the time to relax or for solo training. Nil had planned to cultivate, study the exercises in his manuals, and attempt command training with Meatball before his date. Nil had also planned on calling Katherine and having a catch-up. He didn’t like how they had left things. It felt unnecessary, and he wasn’t sure whether she’d appreciate it, but Nil also wanted to inform her about him seeing someone new.

It came as no surprise when he found Shawn in the training building. He stood in Isabella’s cannon room, catching the high-speed projectiles with his barriers. The projections appeared odd when compared to his usual. They were bubble-like and flexible instead of rigid, folding and bending around the cannonballs. Shawn didn’t stop to catch them. Instead, he shattered the barrier afterward, and the blast that followed flung the heavy spheres away. Many landed awfully close to the devices that had fired them.

Nil also encountered Adam and Susan working together in a larger training space. The brute ducked and danced around Skoll and Hati. Nil paused to watch, amazed by how masterfully he had avoided the giant canines. They landed occasional swipes and bites. Whenever Adam found himself trapped, he willingly sacrificed chunks of flesh, ripping himself free of their maws. Nil couldn’t be sure, but it seemed he purposefully threw previously injured areas forward first, almost using them as protection. Susan’s dogs had a harder time damaging them, and he used their confusion and pauses to land powerful hits.

“What are you doing here?” Adam asked when they took a break. The training room had a small water source. Nil couldn’t tell whether it was for washing up, fire safety, or facilitating individuals whose ability involved the control and manipulation of water. Adam splashed the blood off himself before approaching. “Weren’t you planning on practicing your energy control today?”

“I was, but the weapon’s trainer asked to see me,” Nil answered. “I got here a bit early to warm up. Noah and I haven’t had a proper training session yet, and I hear he can be pretty harsh.”

“Just limbering up then?” Susan asked, joining them. She was as put together as always.

Nil nodded. “I wasn’t expecting to see the pair of you here.”

“With Andrew gone, it's not like I’ve got much to do.” Susan sighed. “Since this big lug has a match tonight and needs to deal with a Summoned and Cursed One simultaneously, I agreed to help with some last-minute training.”

“Wouldn’t you rather conserve your healing supercharge?” Nil asked.

“It takes twelve hours to recover,” Adam replied. “I’ll be fine. Given my opponent, it's vital I get all the practise I can.”

“Do you know who you’re facing yet?”

Adam nodded. “You’ll just have to watch and find out. I know how you feel about the Death Gauntlet, but with my ability, it's not too much of a concern. My quests have involved Bronze Realm Cursed Ones and I’ve come out on the other side just fine.”

“We were just discussing tactics,” Susan said. “I think it's best if Adam puts the Cursed One between himself and his opponent, and let them weaken each other.”

“It's a good plan.” Adam nodded. “I’ll try hit-and-run tactics until one of them falls and then take out my opponent.”

“It's a good plan. Just don’t die, alright?” Nil maintained a half-joking tone but couldn’t be more serious. Adam’s ability made him well-suited for such dangerous tasks, but he couldn’t help but worry. The giant man was one of the few likable men he had encountered since ascending to the status of Summoned. “I’d much rather have you as a sparring partner than Shawn.”

“Don’t you worry, little man.” Adam clapped Nil’s back. Absorb took care of the force behind the playful blow. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Mr Roy!” Noah Granger called from the other end of the corridor. “Over here.”

“Good luck,” Nil told his new friend and hugged Susan quickly before dashing away to meet his new teacher.

The Forge’s weapons trainer disappeared up a stairwell before Nil could catch up to him, moving significantly faster than him. It took supercharged speed with a minor additional energy investment to match the man’s speed. He skidded to a halt and stumbled when arriving at his destination. Nil no longer had trouble maintaining his balance when using the ability within its normal parameters but needed more practice when he forced his speed beyond Toggled Supercharging’s basic parameters.

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“Your control over your abilities isn’t as precise as Isabella led me to believe,” Noah commented.

“I’m confident in managing Brutal Battery’s primary abilities. I don’t mean to sound cocky or overconfident, but I can also handle basic Toggled Supercharging pretty well.” Nil thought it best not to share his cultivation knowledge or the skills he had acquired thus far. “One of my side abilities has evolved and it lets me channel more energy into the others. That includes Toggled Supercharging. My control over how much energy I invest and my balance while enhancing speed beyond its limits requires significant work.”

“I’m sure that practice, and more Finesse will solve the issue,” Noah said thoughtfully. “It might be best to add this Toggled Supercharging to our training regimen. No Absorb or Expend, though.”

“Pain is an excellent teacher.” Nil nodded, repeating the man’s words. “Did you have a special training session in mind? I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

“Show me your three-finger blade.”

Nil obeyed. After the previous evening’s training session, Brutal Battery was near capacity. The Source Gauntlets' gems were also full. Unlike his previous attempts at the conjuration, the energy blade came formed well defined, enveloping all three digits. It extended an additional two inches above each finger, and the edge curved all the way down to the wrist.

“I know it's awkward, but practice will ensure it isn’t so,” Noah said, inspecting the weapon closely. He nodded before taking a step back. “Swing it around for me.” He pointed at one of the compacted stone blocks lining the room. “Strike one of them for me.”

Nil did a couple of practice swings before dashing to his target. The three-finger blade sliced through the material like butter. Its drain on his stores almost doubled as it cut through the material, disintegrating a chunk. Nil released the manifestation when done. During the five or so seconds, he had drained the corresponding gauntlet’s gem and a tenth of Brutal Battery’s stores.

“Interesting.” Noal studied the damage closely. He withdrew a double-ended laser pointer from his pocket and moved it through the destroyed sections of the block. Numbers appeared on the device’s digital display. “The blade seems thin along the side of your hand, but the damaged section is significantly wider. In fact, it's as thick as your hand.”

“The energy consumption is proportionately high,” Nil said. “It's nowhere near as efficient as the punching dagger I managed to manifest yesterday.”

“That might be true, but the inflicted damage here is higher, and you’re inflicting two different kinds of damage,” Noah said. He fished a holo display out of his pocket and showed him the previous evening’s destruction. “The punching dagger is far more concentrated, and its job is to be precise. Your three-finger blade is more of an axe, and axes are for cleaving. You’ll want to use it when you have large or multiple opponents and hope to dismember or decapitate. Because of the larger movements needed, it's slower, so you’ll have to be smart about its usage.”

A floating blade appeared out of thin air and danced around the stone, cutting through it like butter. He ended up creating a stone glove that took on the shape of a three-finger blade and locked fingers within to match the handshape. Nil tried it on, and the fit was perfect.

“I’m not entirely sure what weapon forms will work with them, but we can start with Shotokan Karate,” Noah said. “It has several open-hand techniques that utilize the side of the hand. We can adapt for the additional reach afterward.”

“It's what I used after first manifesting the energy blade,” Nil replied. “The Source Gauntlet sensed my intentions and created them for me. Using karate forms felt the most natural, but my skills are rusty, and I need far more practice.”

“That’s where I come in.” Noah fell into defensive form. Instead of drawing a combat knife, he conjured additional floating blades. Two hovered on either side of him, movements matching those of his forearms. Unlike the one the man used to carve stone, the weapons appeared dull. “How about we put in an hour before starting our Sundays. I’m sure we both have plans for the day, but since we’re already here, not putting in any time would be a waste.”

It was clear that Noah Granger held back during their spar, but Nil was no match. The man refused to answer whether his body had ascended to gold or was still in the Silver Realm. Since Nil had never faced anyone stronger than Isabella, he believed Noah had achieved a Body of Gold.

Avoiding blows proved impossible for Nil even though he had permission to use Toggled Supercharging. So, he enhanced his toughness instead and attempted to block incoming attacks. Fortunately for Nil, Noah avoided strikes to the face and neck and only left dark welts on his arms and thighs. Selia wouldn’t see any bruises unless the date unexpectedly progressed past dinner and perhaps cuddling with a movie. Nil liked the woman but it felt too early to jump into bed with her. Given her forward and somewhat pushy approach, he doubted she would mind. However, his entanglement with Katherine had just ended.

After finishing with Noah, Nil indulged in another icebath. Adam had introduced him to their wonders the previous day. The training building had a co-ed and segregated spa areas. Nil opted for the latter. Unlike the training area, it wasn’t near-empty. Several Summoned residents indulged in the relaxation services. The Nexus had maintained their old-world decor, making the area look like a medieval bathhouse.

No one seemed to mind. In fact, it resulted in an informal, relaxing space. As Nil lay in the brass tub full of swirling water and smooth ice chunks, he circulated energy around his body, closed his eyes, and focused. He couldn’t tell whether it was a product of recent training or the pain and tiredness helped clear his mind better, but focusing energy in select parts of his body proved easier. The Schema didn’t award him with any additional ranks in Energy Instinct or Wield The Source, but Nil felt better prepared for whatever came next.