Exactly eight weeks after returning from his first quest, Nil experienced his second summoning. It took him to the Nexus, but Layla didn’t send anyone for him. He approached her office, but an invisible barrier prevented him from approaching the door. The Schema interface appeared when he tried again.
Your caseworker is currently unavailable. She has been informed of your interest in speaking to her and will make a slot available following your request.
What’s the point of bringing me to the Nexus then? Could’ve just sent me on a quest.
The Fountain of Pyrene is available for pre-quest healing.
The Nexus Market is available for all Iron Realm and above Summoned to arm, equip, and supply prior quests.
Thanks for reading my mind.
Besides the soul weapons, tools, and armor, Summoned didn’t get to carry anything between Earth and the Nexus. Anything they wished to carry on their quests needed to be purchased from the Nexus Market and stored in a storage chest. Nil understood the reasoning behind it but also saw how it could frustrate people. He imagined Sakura spent a fair amount of Schema Credit on all the weapons she needed to carry for Cutting Light. At the same time, the Nexus didn’t want the Summoned disrupting any world’s stability by bringing in technology that didn’t belong.
An Assault Rifle could throw a world like Mila’s into chaos. If someone discovered the means to replicate the technology, it would make their war against the Cursed Ones easier, but Nil imagined nations would go to war over it afterward and devastate each other. Historically, societies with superior technology rarely sat around and let their neighbors live in peace. Wars of conquest, massacres, and slavery often followed.
Nil guessed the same could happen if unregulated magic made it onto Earth. Someone was attempting just that with cursed energy and the unformed soul weapons. Now that he had a ludus, he was willing to reconsider her offer. He didn’t plan on starting straight away, but after he got past the Iron Gauntlet qualifiers. Nil still had several ranks to gain and not a lot of time to do it.
Attempting to access the Nexus Market also failed. His body had reached the Iron Realm, but power had not. As a result, the Schema still considered him a Mortal. After spending three Schema Credits to get rid of all of the aches and pains from training, he looked at the quests on offer.
Objective: Protect Prince Edgar Von Schmidt during his coming-of-age ceremony. Ensuring he doesn’t die, end up crippled, or suffer any permanent damage.
Duration: 24-48 hours
Danger Level: Mortal 9
Rewards: 100 Schema Credit, 1 Schema Token
Objective: Lord Percival Grey is facing trial by combat for a crime he didn’t commit. Serve as his champion and ensure he doesn’t lose his head.
Duration: 1 hour
Danger Level: Bronze 3
Rewards: 300 Schema Credit, 3 Schema Token
Objective: The settlement of Oleg’s Watch faces an unknown, monstrous threat. It is the kingdom and neighboring Control World’s primary source of Aether Crystals, and it can not be allowed to fall.
Duration: 6-24 hours
Danger Level: Iron 9
Rewards: 200 Schema Credit, 2 Schema Tokens, Possible Bonus
It was tempting to pick the second option. The short duration and reward made it almost perfect. However, the danger level concerned Nil. After witnessing Sakura and the Scuttler fight, he doubted he could handle a Bronze Realm threat. The high rewards for the low duration suggested it would be challenging.
The first option was far too long, and the rewards weren’t particularly tempting. So, he picked the third option. Iron-Nine was still too strong for him. However, he had successfully faced an Iron-Five Cursed One and came out alive. He had gained several ranks and ascended his body since. So, he decided to take the risk.
Apparently, the cost of increasing attributes with Schema Tokens increased with every realm. Pushing Spark to Iron-One would take him two tokens. So, he didn’t see any other choice but to help Oleg’s Watch with its plight. The possibility of a bonus also made it tempting. Even though there was a chance of it causing problems with Symbiotech, he wanted to convert a portion of his cursed energy into Fear The Iron Maiden. Pushing his Might’s potential to Silver would make raising the attribute naturally significantly easier.
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“Are you it?” A middle-aged man accosted Nil as soon as he arrived at his destination. He wore a velvety red coat and matching feathered cap. His trousers were dark blue, and his pointed leather shoes curled upwards. Nil couldn’t decide whether he looked like an alderman or a jester. “I sacrificed all of our surplus for you?”
The older woman standing behind the man smacked the back of his head. She wore long multi-colored robes and a headdress decorated with antlers, brambles, and a couple of gems. “I told ye not to be greedy. Should’ve taken some out of the little mayoral emergency fund you hide under your floorboards.”
“Mother!” The man’s exclamation almost sounded like a whine as he shushed her. His beady little eyes glanced at the crowd two dozen feet behind them. Many peeked at the scene from the neighboring buildings’ windows. The sun was low in the sky, and evening appeared close. It looked early, but all the doors and windows of the surrounding shops were closed. Some had shutters. “Why don’t you tell all the little thieves?”
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“Yes. Yes.” The woman pushed past her son, walking with the aid of a staff. The gem at its head glowed a bright blue. Nil didn’t need Energy Instinct’s help to detect the magic radiating from it. It reminded him of the stones socketed in Aethertech stun guns, except stronger and purer.
This must be the pure magic of Beacon Worlds Layla was on about.
“You’re smaller than the last Summoned I met,” the mayor’s mother told Nil. She sniffed the air around him. “Strong, though. I’m not sure you’ll do.”
“Well, Iam all you have. So why don’t you tell me what the problem is? I’ll look into solving the mess so I can go home.”
“Aren’t you a mouthy one?” The woman snickered.
“How dare you talk back?” The mayor snapped. “We’re your summoner and, therefore, superior. You will do as you’re told—”
“Watch it.” Nil glared at the man. “I’m here because you need me. Talk too much, and I’ll just wait out the quest timer until the Nexus calls me back. I’d rather deal with whatever penalty awaits me than a tubby miser that can’t solve his own problems.”
“Looks like I’m going to have to teach you a lesson. Mother—”
“Hi there!” Nil called to the crowd. “Do you want to know where the mayor keeps your tax skimmings? It is under—”
“Fine. Fine. I’m sorry.”
The mayor’s mother chuckled. “I like this one. He’s got spirit.” She walked away from the summoning circle toward the crowd. They parted, creating a path for her. “Follow me, laddie. I’ll show you around and tell you what’s what.”
Oleg’s Watch was a mining town on the border of a large magic-rich kingdom plagued by an unknown threat. Their town wizard had recently passed, and the best warriors had left to seek their fortunes on the western frontier, leaving the mayor desperate. The town guard had sent a messenger to the capital for aid, but it was a week’s ride there and back. The mayor and his mother feared the settlement wouldn’t survive the wait. Hence, they invested the quarter’s aether gem surplus—sold independently for the settlement’s benefit and growth—in the summoning.
As Nil walked around the town, the mayor’s mother showed him homes that were silently attacked in the night. Something had ripped through doors and walls, leaving deep gouges. No one, including the survivors, had seen the creature. It specifically targeted young women and children, devouring them and just killing or maiming the remaining residents. Guard patrols failed to find the monster, and a guardsman monitoring a neighborhood had lost his head. His children and wife, living in a home nearby, had perished the same night.
Energy Instinct did its job.
Black smoke full of pink and purple embers lingered around the murder scenes. They were the densest where the woman claimed remains were found. Deep claw marks surrounded by blood splatters marked the walls. The broken door and window frames suggested the perpetrator wasn’t particularly big. As he continued to explore Oleg’s Watch, Nil couldn’t help but wonder whether Katherine would’ve received the job if the mayor had used the appropriate quantity of aether gems for the summoning ritual. The investigative nature of the quest suited her better than it did Nil.
“The beast marks the neighborhood it will attack next,” the woman said, guiding him toward a nicer part of town. “We didn’t notice it until a couple of nights ago.”
The neighborhood contained a square with a fountain. A park and two mansions bordered it. A wide road ran from it, through the settlement’s market to the main gate. The mayor’s mother ran her fingers over a rough shape on the ground. Something had clawed a triangle into the ground. Each side had three jagged lines and one especially deep gouge running down the middle.
The old woman pointed at the larger of the two mansions. “The owner of the mines owns that monstrosity. His children have all flown the coop. His wife is away visiting family, and the old git lives with his butler.” She nodded at the smaller estate. “My son lives in that one. With his wife and twin girls. I don’t care what happens to him. He’s a spoilt, incompetent ass. I regret pulling strings to get him the position. But I got him hitched to a decent woman, and his babies have the potential to become great mages someday.”
“It will be a shame if they fall to the Cursed One,” Nil said. He kneeled, studying the emblem closely. Cursed energy lay thick within the deep central gouge.
“How do you know it's a Cursed One?” The mayor’s mother asked, frowning.
“I’m new to this, so I can’t be sure. Can a human or magic beast be so full of cursed energy that traces of it linger for hours or days after death?”
The older woman shook her head. “Not that I know of, at least. You can sense Cursed Energy?”
Nil nodded.
“Then you’re not as useless as I feared.” She sighed. “I must be getting too old for this job. The mines are a beacon to these things. My wards and charms have been keeping the Cursed Ones at bay for years. So, I thought it was some crazed lunatic or a dark summoner trying to cast a ritual. If a Cursed One is here, it means I’ve failed.” The woman looked defeated and humble for the first time since his arrival. “You might be our only hope Summoned. I must be in my final years, but I’m a witch of Moonsilk Coven. Tell me what you need, and I’ll help in whatever way I can. I’m Ester.”
“Thank you. My name is Nil.” He studied the emblem for a moment longer before scanning the neighborhood for any signs of Cursed Energy. “You said it comes out after dinner time. Correct?”
“Indeed. It's usually between the ninth bell and dawn.”
“Great. We have plenty of time. We need to investigate all the empty homes, wells, and other dark spaces within the walls.”
“What are you thinking?” Ester asked. When she frowned, her face looked wrinkled.
“The beast already told us where it's headed tonight. So, set traps and put your grandchildren in the deepest and safest corner of the mansion. In the meantime, we’ll try to find any information about it. All information is helpful information. If we discover it while the sun is still up or rising from its slumber, there is a chance we can finish the thing easily.”
“Wouldn’t it be safer to hide the girls somewhere else?” Nil hadn’t heard the mayor approach. He looked more tired and scared than slimy and crooked. “I don’t want them here.”
“It won’t help if it's a Cursed One. Once the thing picks a target, it will pursue it to the ends of the world.” Ester looked up at Nil and smiled. “We’ll support the Summoned in whatever way we can.”
“Let's get to work,” Nil said. “We have a long night ahead of us.”