Nil didn’t know whether Emily was too busy with school, no longer considered going out with her big brother cool or had seen the match recordings and now feared him. She rejected his offer for a brother-daughter dinner date, claiming she had vital coursework to complete.

I hope I’m wrong.

“Just be patient,” Selia told him as they sat in his garden, basking in the warm rays coming through the sunlight. “For all you know she really is busy. She’s sixteen. It's a big year for students. There is a lot going on socially and academically.”

“Symbiotech sent you to school?” Nil asked, eyebrow raised.

The woman shook her head. “But TV and the internet can be very educational. I might not have experienced school, but I know teenage girls. I was one and shared rooms with plenty. Even if she knows about Death Gauntlet and killing your opponent, give her some time.” Selia stood on her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on Nil’s lips. “I might not have met Emily personally, but I’ve seen how you two are from afar. She loves you and will come around eventually.”

“I hope you’re right.” Nil sighed, leaning back. The soft, damp dirt was soothing between his fingers. He loved the garden. It reminded him of his mother. “Emmy is important to me. I don’t want me working for the Nexus to destroy our relationship.”

“If not now, she and Sam will eventually understand why you’re doing the things you do and its importance.”

Meatball squeaked angrily and rammed Nil’s hand. He didn’t have Absorb active, so he yelped and pulled it away. She hadn’t used her spikes, but her bark-like carapace had scraped the skin off his pinky finger and the attached knuckle.

“Oh.”

Nil’s hand sat millimeters from a new sapling. The pair of leaves sticking out of the ground were not even half the size of his pinky fingernail. After consuming the fruit, she had grown from the size of a grapefruit to a melon. Her carapace had hardened and grown harder and lost its fuzziness. She also had more spikes; not all were the same size. Her rank and those of her abilities had all increased. However, she was still a baby and protective of her plants. So, he didn’t hold minor injuries against her. He had heard about puppies and kittens accidentally hurting their humans. The little ones didn’t understand the force of their nips and bites and the sharpness of their claws yet.

“It's not okay to attack your friends!” Nil scolded, doing his best to sound angry. He softened when Meatball released a soft squeak. “Just don’t do it again. And I’m sorry I almost squashed your sapling.” Nil found Selia studying him with an amused look on his face. “What?”

“Nothing,” she replied before checking her holowatch. “Should we head down for dinner?”

Nil and his friends met in the cafeteria, wearing new clothes and devices. He didn’t just receive a windfall because of sponsorship and partner deals.

Selia was soon to appear in a cosmetics advertisement. They wanted to lie that her sudden complexion improvement was because of their rejuvenation cream. Selia did use one of their moisturizers regularly for former dry skin issues but owed the ascension and ranks for her current looks. The money was good, and no one blamed her for taking it.

The burnt clothes in her previous match worked in her favor. The exposed skin had people talking about her allure. Some of the talk he had read and heard disturbed Nil. They obsessed with her mixed Argentinian and German heritage far too much. He had encountered similar discussions regarding his parentage, but it wasn’t as bad, sexualizing, or fetishistic. There was nothing he could do about them, and he did his best to ignore the downsides of fame. However, all the attention also attracted several fashion brands. Selia had a new wardrobe that included branded clubbing outfits, sportswear, fashionable casual clothes, and a variety of accessories. She only needed to appear in public, in interviews, or in the arena wearing them.

Shawn and Nil received several but lesser benefits.

The barrier projector limited his partnership to defense, security, and athletics companies. His media partners believed that spreading himself out too much too early would do more harm than good.

Bunty’s hypothesis proved correct, and Nil had a wide range of options. The soul weapon display got him several lucrative offers, but most demanded exclusivity. Nil didn’t care about fashion and just went with whoever offered the most money, as well as a summoned artisan firm that made athletic wear for Summoned. He hoped their more durable products would reduce the chances of exposing himself in the arena.

Since Garuda Systems was the first to reach out and hadn’t lost interest when Nil’s connection to Symbiotech made him appear suspicious, he agreed to have a sit-down. They reiterated their interest. Garuda was a creature out of Hindu mythology. Nil’s full name and ethnicity made him an excellent advertising partner for their newest line of hoverbikes. He received a substantial paycheck, operating training, a license, and a variety of tech that Nil needed several manuals to learn how to use.

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The trio met in the cafeteria wearing their new casual wear, not to show off their success but because all garments were made to fit and far more comfortable than anything they had owned before. The new Holo devices on their wrist also ensured none of them had to carry phones, watches, personal music devices, or wallets. The centimeter-thick bands on their wrists took care of everything and needed charging only once a week. Nil couldn’t wait to show it off to Andrew but worried he would want to take apart the Aethertech and tinker with it.

“So, who is everyone challenging next?” Isabella asked once they were all settled in a private dining room and the food had arrived. The woman appeared to enjoy the trio’s company more than that of her new colleagues and joined them for meals if they bumped into each other on the way to the cafeteria. “I think it's about time we design customized training regimens based on who you’re facing next.”

“Furball Maher,” Shawn answered. “I’ve been watching his videos, and I don’t think anyone here has much of a chance against him. The fur will absorb all of Nil’s attacks, and he’ll use up all of his energy before his blades cut through them. Selia will get lost in all of the hair.”

“I don’t even know if I can phase through all of that,” she said. “The static shock thing he’s developed will mess me up the second I try to phase back in. I haven’t picked my opponent yet. Noah and I are working on my martial skills and finalizing a weapon. Perhaps it's best if I leave my decision until afterward.”

All eyes turned to Nil, who was busy shoveling food into his mouth. The others didn’t have to deal with insane calorie demands like him. He swallowed his mouthful and activated his holo watch’s display.

Jaqueline The Shredder

Alex ‘Furball’ Maher

Shervon Gray

“Since Shawn wants to challenge Furball, I need to pick between the other two.”

Stills from their most recent matches appeared hovering on either side of the names. Jaqueline The Shredder was a slender woman who wore long cocktail dresses with slits that almost came all the way up to her thigh. She had gathered a lot of fame as a sex symbol and also apparently had movie deals in the works where she would portray a femme fatale. Her ability seemed similar to Noah’s. She conjured and controlled floating saw blades but NIl couldn’t be sure whether they were her soul weapon.

Meanwhile, Shervon Gray was a towering bodybuilder from East London. There were several rumors of him having gang affiliations in the chaotic hellhole that was Hackney. He appeared especially tough. As fights carried on, his skin transitioned from onyx to blood red and the damage he took significantly dropped. His strength also increased, but he went wild. Some channels called his power Berserker’s Rage, but Shervon Gray had never confirmed it. Many refuted the claim since he sprouted a second pair of arms during combat. They grew out of his rib cage and didn’t have as wide a range of motion. His soul weapon was a titanic hammer, and after several dozen viewings, Nil failed to discern its special ability.

“Absorb should be able to take whatever they throw at me, but neither will be as easy as Kennit,” Nil continued. “The secret of the Source Gauntlets is out. Festus has sent me a bunch of chat logs and write-ups on what they and I can do.”

“So you’ve somewhat lost the element of surprise,” Isabella stated.

Nil nodded. “Both of them have excellent martial abilities and have far more experience. Jaqueline has been at this for three years. Her blades are fast and come out of nowhere. She’s also swift and good with her little daggers. I wouldn’t be surprised if she laces them with toxins either.” He tapped Shervon Gray’s image, enlarging it. “Shervon would’ve been the perfect opponent for me if not for his skin.”

A compilation of clips followed, which showed the brute getting hit by energy and elemental spells. The redder his skin, the less damage he suffered. In fact, the attacks seem to diffuse, losing stability or seeming to have met a prism.

“He’ll keep topping up Brutal Battery’s stores, and I can unload them blow after blow. I can’t be sure whether the kinetic blasts or source weapons will work on him, though.”

“Since this is life and death, I don’t want to make any decisions for you,” Isabella told him. “However, I’ve been going through recordings of all your target's old matches, and I have recommendations.”

“You haven’t led me wrong yet,” Nil said. “Recommend away.”

Shawn and Selia nodded their approval.

“Shawn’s pick is just fine,” Isabella said. “I think he has a distinct advantage over his opponent.” She glanced between Nil and Selia. “It's not the same for either of you. I see no direct advantages and only disadvantages.” Isabella focused on Selia. “Your mastery over the phase shifting is way beyond that of your rank, but your martial and general physical abilities are significantly lacking. The only person I see you currently having an advantage over right now is Shervon Gray. As long as you can avoid getting hit and get him deep enough into a surface so that he can’t break free, you’ll win. You just need to get him berserk enough first so he doesn’t see through your plan.” Her attention turned to Nil. “Shervon is a better fighter than you. I’m sorry, but it isn’t even close.

“His hammer either has the ability to break through armor, shields, or barriers. Or, it might be able to destabilize powers. I can’t be sure. Your control over Brutal Battery is great, considering how long you’ve been a Summoned, Nil, but it's not good enough. So, it's best if you try your luck with Shredder. She won’t fill the Brutal Battery all the way, but her blades won’t do their job when you have Absorb on. It will be a matter of raw fighting ability afterward, and you might just about pull ahead. I don’t think Jaqueline started combat sports until after she became a Summoned or started working with Symbiotech and it shows.”

“It's a tough pill to swallow but you’re right,” Nil admitted. “Shervon is a far better fighter than me. Those extra arms don’t make things any easier. He strikes and grapples far too well. I’ll take a few weeks to train. Once I’m ready, Jaqueline will go down.”

Selia poked Nil. “I’ll need you and Shawn to spar with me every day. Given how Shervon fights, facing you too should help me come up with better tactics.”

“Excellent.” Isabella nodded, returning to her food. “I’ll talk to some people and find you more sparring partners. Oh.” She appeared stern as she focused on Nil. “Stop banking Schema Tokens like an idiot. Use them all now and take the training period to get used to the growth. A single unit in anything but Mind will make a big difference.”