By the time Selia returned and resumed her training, Nil had seen significant growth. He had Meatball’s garden and his manuals to thank for the rapidly growing numbers.
* Might: Iron 7
* Finesse: Bronze 2
* Mind: Iron 2
* Spark: Bronze 7
Brutal Battery: Iron 6
* Absorb: Iron 6
* Expend: Iron 6
* Toggled Supercharging: Iron 3
* Energy Instinct: Iron 3
Source Gauntlets: Iron 3
* Wield The Source: Iron 3
* Galvanized: Iron 3
Ironroot Whelp: Iron 8
* Reinforce: Iron 4
* Regenerate: Iron 8
Cara and Zora’s regular presence in and out of Isabella’s session also helped. The Bronze Realm Mages also got valuable practice during their training. Cara regularly thought of methods to counter Shawn and Nil’s defensive abilities and Energy Instinct’s detection. In comparison, Zora worked to make her spells more efficient to add more power to individual attacks or overwhelm the pair with volume.
From what Nil understood, full mages were rare, and few in Britain besides Wilson Luduses had more than one of each realm in their roster. It involved learning spellcraft that complemented the Schema’s gifts, memorizing spells, and then casting them correctly in the heat of combat and identifying the appropriate tools for the job. From what Nil had read, magecraft demanded incredible focus, and in some cases, the loss of concentration could have dire consequences. Fireballs exploding during creation or out-of-control lightning bolts didn’t just risk harming the mage but any allies in their vicinity as well.
Bunty claimed that from the Bronze Gauntlet onwards, many mages almost exclusively went to team events and built teams dedicated to protecting them. A powerful spell or two cast at the right time had the potential to turn the tides of battle, if not eliminate the enemy.
“I’m surprised Shredder accepted your challenge,” Bunty said when Nil told him the news. “She is often the challenger instead of the challenged and almost always avoids knights and brutes. I half expected you to go for Furball or Shervon.”
“I considered the latter but was convinced otherwise,” Nil replied, hoping for the hundredth time that sharing the elimination list with him wasn’t a horrible decision. “Can you get me all of her videos from before her Death Gauntlet career? I want to try to understand her fighting style inside and out.”
“That might prove difficult. I already had a look at all the people you listed and dug all I could. Everything from before they gained their soul weapon seems to have disappeared. In some cases, this happened while they were rising through Gauntlet of Ten, while in other cases like Pietro’s, I found nothing but Death Gauntlet matches.”
“How is that even possible?”
“I don’t know,” Bunty said, sounding guilty. “I’m sorry. I really tried. But it looks like someone with considerable resources had them scrubbed from the internet. And Apocalypse Arena’s earth-side database has been stored for nothing for more than a year. I can ask some friends and see if they can find any hard copies from someone’s personal collection, but no one makes those for small-name Iron Gauntlet fighters.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Nil sighed, feeling guilty about bringing a civilian so deep into Summoned issues. “You don’t need to apologize either. I appreciate the effort. You’ve done a lot for me with these information packets and sorting out deals.”
“Are you kidding? Thanks to you and your introductions, I’m making more money than Highlight Reel ever made. Old colleagues that screwed me over and shunned me are now getting in touch, begging for collaborations, shoutouts, and all sorts of favors. I might not be a Summoned, but I’d like to think we’re on the same team. An agent of sorts. By the way, has Garuda Systems been in touch regarding the biking gear endorsements?”
“I haven’t heard anything from them yet. No.”
“I’ll chase that up for you. It's high-quality wear, and some might be good for arena wear. There’s a lot more money coming your way too. Do you have a financial manager, or should I hook you up with my guy?”
“My father introduced me to someone he trusts,” Nil said. “Thanks, though.”
Nil and his friends all lost a day here and there because of the many sponsorships and brand deals. It mostly involved modeling products. In some instances, they had to act out scenes before a cast or crew. Much to his relief, it was always in front of a green screen, and Nil never had to go anywhere crowded. Unlike sets Nil had seen on television or in movies, the crew were few, and the equipment minimalistic. Everything was compact and sleek and often featured Arthurtech’s logo.
Nil hated the mornings or evenings they ate up since, unlike the Symbiotech appointments, he didn’t get anything valuable out of them. Only Arena Wear provided him with articles he considered useful. The brand produced custom training and arena wear for fighters and took pride in making them fashionable and durable. They provided him with several sets of athletic wear and a few incredibly designed outfits for live combat. All carried their coliseum logo.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
A full two weeks after Nil’s first Death Gauntlet match, Emily finally found time for Nil, and he took her shopping. She was cold and reserved at first but then opened up about the troubles she was having at her new school.
“It's so different, and everyone is so so far up their own butts,” Emily told Nil as they found seats in the mall’s food court. “I miss my old friends, and somehow, I went from being the top of the class to the dunce. The facilities are nice, and the teachers are understanding. But it's not the same.” She sighed. “I know it's not your fault. It was not fair to blame you, and avoiding you wasn’t particularly mature.”
“That’s what this is about?” Nil asked, eyebrows raised. “You didn’t watch my last match.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed. “That depends. Are you going to rat me out to Baba?”
“Have I ever?”
“Not that I know of. No.”
“Then why would I now?”
“Baba thinks he controls the parental locks and filters. Sammy and I have been the ones running it forever.” Emily grinned. “His account is the one that’s monitored and filtered.”
“That way, he never finds out what the two of you have been up to.” Nil laughed. “That’s incredibly clever. I’m proud of you two. That would’ve never worked in my day. Mum was a lot more wary of that stuff.”
Emily’s smile faded. She broke eye contact and fidgeted, breaking up her frozen slushy with her straw. “I don’t like this move either.” Her voice got smaller. “It's not home.”
“It doesn’t feel like mum,” Nil said. When his little sister nodded, he moved from across the table to next to her. He put an arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to move. I hope you understand that—”
“I understand. There were strange cars lingering around the house and following us. It's for our safety because you’re actually trying to do some good and make things less fucked up. I get the logic of it.”
“But not all feelings are logical.” Nil completed the thought for her. “Take all the time you need. I can give you some space if you’d like.”
Emily shook her head and leaned into Nil. “No. Just stay alive. Alright?”
“I’ll try my best,” Nil told his little sister. He missed her. They had drifted apart after Aisha passed, and Nil threw himself into his cheffing career. Things had started to change after he became a Summoned, but not ludus-life took up all of his time.
“You don’t have to worry about me hating you or being scared of you, Nil,” Emily said. “I understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. It couldn’t have been easy seeing Adam die. The people in the cafeteria say he was a really nice guy.”
“It's not revenge. Adam and I weren’t close, but it's true. He was a good guy who died trying to eliminate a horrible person. There are far too many like Pietro and Kennit out there. If I don’t deal with them, more decent people will end up like Adam.”
“I guessed as much.” Emily wiped her eyes and grinned. “On to more important things. What the hell is going on with you and that Selia woman? Isn’t she a bit young for you?”
“Bit young?” Nil raised an eyebrow. “She’s twenty-three, almost twenty-four. The age difference isn’t that big, is it?”
“I’m just teasing.” Emily chuckled. She poked her brother’s side before sitting upright. “The age difference is perfect since you’re barely mature enough to match her. Katherine was too grown up and focused. This one seems much better.”
“Don’t tell Baba,” Nil said. “I don’t want a damn lecture on how I shouldn’t jump from one woman to another and relationships should be cherished, and a whole lot of nonsense.”
“He met Mum at eighteen and has never been with anyone else. Baba doesn’t know any better. I’m glad you’ve finally moved past Aisha and are enjoying yourself. It's great to see you happy and content instead of all glum, depressed, and fidgeted.” Emily sat up straight and scanned their surroundings before continuing in a whisper. “Is she gone? The ghost?”
Nil nodded. “The soul weapon got rid of the visage. I loved Aisha, and losing her hurt, but I’m glad to leave that chapter behind me.”
“Well, Selia looks fun, and it's clear you’re having a great time together. Just be more discreet in the cafeteria or eat in private dining rooms, alright? Anyone with eyes can tell that you two are fucking.”
Nil playfully smacked the back of his sister’s head. “Language! The filter comes right off when Baba isn’t around, doesn’t it?”
“Please. Don’t turn into him, Nil. You’re barely cool after this Summoned thing happened. Selia will run away, and no woman will ever look at you if you turn into Baba.”
The siblings left depressing topics behind and just talked about life. Nil told her about how things ended with Katherine and the developments with Selia. She told him about her new school, the cliques that she wanted to join, and the boys she found attractive. Emily also opened up about how things were at home without him around.
Though Sam looked up to him, Nil never managed to bond with Sam. His family didn’t take guardianship of the boy until after he moved out. But he was glad to learn that Emily filled the older sibling role for him. It was sweet to know how much she cared about the young man.
The pair stayed out for lunch and didn’t get back to the ludus until late in the afternoon. He swam a few laps before returning to his suite. Selia was due to come over for dinner, and he had a special meal planned. After giving Meatball the assortment of exotic fruits he bought from the local Asian supermarket, Nil got to work.
Given the mortality rate of the Death Gauntlet, there was no telling how long either of them had left. The pair had agreed to make the most of the time they had. It was strange living like the coming weeks could be their last. But Nil felt more free than he ever had before.